What would your life look like without Jesus? Would it look complete, or would you be doing without? Today we want to tell you that without Jesus, you aren’t “doing without”… Without Jesus you have nothing! Without Jesus, you are dead even though you are living. Once you are born into Christ, you are given a promise that you will never taste the second death.
Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am ready to preach to you today, but first a song…
Without Him I could do nothing
Without Him I’d surely fail
Oh, Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail
Without
Welcome to the first week of our sermon series called “without.”
Doing without
Have you ever heard the phrase “Doing Without?
Somehow life is lacking, unfulfilled, less than optimal.
If we lack certain things in life, we seem to be doing without. This is true in our physical & our spiritual lives.
A phone. If you don’t have a mobile phone, you are doing without. How could you possibly make it?
Not just a phone… not a “flip phone.” Unless it is a smart phone, you are doing without.
It is so sad when all a phone does is make calls…
Not just a phone, but a certain model of phone. An iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy, a One Plus.
For many people, the name brand matters. You are doing without if you have less than the name brand.
A car. I think most of you would agree that if you don’t have a car, you are doing without.
Not just any car… not a junker car. There are certain amenities in our cars we have grown accustomed to. To drive a car without that specific amenity would be considered ‘doing without’. A remote key fob with auto start, a back-up camera, a Bluetooth to connect to your fancy phone, A/C for this Texas heat and etc.
Going further, some of us care about the model of our car. We care about the hood ornament that says Mercedes, Jaguar, or Dodge Ram.
Without
There are things in our lives, that if we lack them, we will be “doing without.”
Today and over the next weeks, we will be talking about scriptural warnings of trying to live “without.”
Here is an outline of our series. I hope you make plans to be here every week.
- Week 2 Without Faith
- Week 3 Without Knowledge
- Week 4 Without Holiness
- Week 5 Without Excuse
I want to tell you that you don’t have to live “without.” Yet many people do live without. They either don’t know they are lacking, or they choose to lack certain things. Who are you today? Have you been living without?
Peter warns as about living without.
1 Peter 1:18(NIV) For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
There is an empty way of life. A life without fulfillment. A life without meaning. A life that is hollow & lacking. 1 Peter warns that this empty way of life can be handed down generationally.
Many of us were handed down this empty way of life.
Unless we become serious about the Word of God, we will be handing down to the next generation an empty way of life, a life without.
Without Jesus
What does a life without Jesus look like?
Jesus makes the boldest of declarations about trying to do life without Him.
John 15:5(NIV) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Apart from Jesus, or without Jesus, you can do nothing.
Jesus is NOT being hyperbolic. Jesus is not exaggerating. Jesus is not bragging in his own self.
Jesus came to testify to the Truth. He never lied. Not even a little white lie.
Jesus says you can do NOTHING without Him. I have some problems with this verse personally… Is it ok if I work through my problem with you?
Without Jesus = Nothing
The scripture clearly says without Jesus, you can do nothing. Yet here is how my own flawed human logic wants to read the verse.
Flawed thinking: “without Jesus I won’t do as good…”
This is the doing without idea all over again.
You would be wrong to think of Jesus like you would your choice of smartphone. You wanted an iPhone, but at least you have a lesser phone that will still make calls.
This is not what Jesus said… He said NOTHING!
You would be wrong to think of Jesus like your choice of car. You wanted a top-of-the-line car right off the showroom floor, but at least you have this duct-taped-together 1992 Geo Metro which continues to go if you have someone help you push-start it.
This is not what Jesus said… He said, “Without me you can do NOTHING.”
We like to think that “Jesus is best”… and this is not wrong, but it is also not what Jesus said.
We like to think that “a life with Jesus is best”… and this is not wrong, but is it what Jesus said?Without Jesus = Nothing
Jesus said without Him you can do NOTHING. That is a bold statement.
There is not a 2nd best alternative.
There is no generic knockoff product you can substitute.
There is only Jesus and nothing else… Do you believe that?
Jesus is not a life hack
Do you know what a lifehack is? A lifehack is a technique or strategy to improve your day, usually with efficiency.
Drink Holder
Keys & Nail Polish
Shoe Holder for cleaning products
Rubber band for stripped screw
Jesus is not a life hack
Jesus is not a strategy to make your life incrementally better. Jesus is not a slight improvement.
Jesus IS life
There are so many scriptures that say this.
John 14:6 (NIV) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 6:53-53(NIV) 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
John 10:10(NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Jesus is life
Jesus is not just a slightly better life. He IS life.
Religion often treats Jesus like a lifehack… People sometimes treat going to church like a way to become slightly better…
Without Jesus = Nothing
And without Jesus you won’t just do a little worse… No, without Jesus you can do nothing.
How can this be?
I have honestly wondered about this.
How can Jesus say He is life and without Him we are not alive?
Without Jesus you can do nothing… I am certain I can name some highly successful people who are atheists. I know we can all think of people who have climbed the ladder of success in their lives, and yet never professed faith in Jesus.
How can Jesus say, “Without Him you can do nothing?”
John 15:5(NIV) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Jesus is the vine, and you are one of the branches. The life in the vine flows to the branches. If there is no vine, there are no branches. If there is no source of life, then there is no life.
Jesus Christ is the creator of all things. (Colossians 1:16) We, the created, could do NOTHING without the creator.
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Without Jesus… Nothing!
It would be the height of vanity for the branches to brag about their production of fruit, while denying the presence of the vine. This is exactly what happens when we do not honor the source of life.
Jesus is correct. Without Him we can do nothing.
John 15:6(NIV) 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Without the vine, Jesus Christ, the branches with all their worldly fruits produced from their own human efforts will be picked up and thrown where? They will be thrown into the fire and there will be nothing left of them.
Only what you do in Christ will last
Sometimes we look at the celebrity, the billionaire, the successful and beautiful and we feel inadequate.
You are not alone in feeling this way. The Psalmist said, “my feet almost slipped when I saw the prosperity of the unrighteous.” (Psalm 73:2-4)
Sometimes our work for Christ seems meager. Your own service & giving never makes the news reports. Your efforts as a Christian are not commemorated with a statue, or a ribbon cutting.
BUT WHAT YOU DO IN CHRIST WILL LAST!
To the single mom who honors Christ and works hard to raise her children… You are doing a work that will last.
To the worker and businessman who honors Christ and refuses to lower his standard of honesty… The work you are doing in Christ will not be thrown into the fire.
To the follower of Christ who is focused on the true treasure of heaven and working to read their Bible, you are not inadequate.
To the generous person who honors God with their giving, your treasure really is being stored up in Heaven where the moth and vermin cannot destroy them.
The work you are doing in Christ is not to be compared to the works of this world. The works of this world will wither and be thrown into the fire, because without Christ, we can do nothing.
Do not stand on judgement day without Christ.
Do not stand TODAY without Christ!
ONLY what you do in Christ will last… Without Jesus… You can do nothing!
Without Jesus = Nothing
With Jesus
Can anyone think of a promise of a life WITH JESUS?
With Jesus…
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors through His love for us.
With Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins.
With Jesus we have healing.
With Jesus we have eternal life.
With Jesus we have an advocate with the Father.
With Jesus we have the way, the truth, and the life.
With Jesus we have power over the enemy.
Are you living WITH JESUS?
Religious traditions won’t bring you this life… only Jesus.
People in your Bible became desperate when they realized the life they could have with Jesus… They realized they were living WITHOUT.
A man named Zacchaeus climbed into a tree just to see Him.
A group of lepers approached him and asked for healing.
A Samaritan woman begged for healing.
A woman with an issue of blood pressed through a crowd.
A thief on the cross pleaded “remember me.”
Blind Bartimaeus cried with a loud voice “Have mercy on me.”
Oh, that there would be a desperation in our own hearts, rather than a complacency that we have all we need.
The life of the vine must flow into the branches
Is the life of Jesus flowing in you? Freely flowing, or just trickling through your little prayer, little praise.
I want what was flowing inside Jesus to flow inside me.
What good is Christianity, if the life of our savior is not flowing inside us.
What good is a worship service, if we are WITHOUT JESUS in this place? – The manifestation of Christ in us.
Healing needs to flow…
You need to be healed…
You need to lay hands-on others and have healing virtue flow…
Forgiveness needs to flow…
You need to be forgiven…
You need to forgive others…
Power needs to flow…
You need the power of God residing inside of you…
You need that power flowing into your daily life…
“Without Him, you can do nothing!”