ABIDING IN CHRIST
John 15:7-8
INTRODUCTION
After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, fellowship
With the Lord was broken. Sin entered mankind all his
Time on earth.
The need for a redeemer became the objective of God’s work to
Draw men to Himself. Genesis 3:15
Jesus became the promised seed that we so gratefully hope for.
Through 42 generations of Israelites, He came down to be
Our Savior. He took off His robe of glory, became man to be
Our redeemer.
Theme Scripture
V:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
The Greek for abide is meno
NT:3306
meno (men\’-o); a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):
KJV – abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), thine own.
To tabernacle or pitch a tent in the hope of conquering death, of being
Resurrected. The hope of living forever.
Jesus said if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask and it
Will be done for you.
Abiding is Jesus is your spiritual life
When you abide in Christ you take on the mind of Christ. In other words, you follow the commands of Christ. Your first thought on anything is Jesus
John 15:1
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Jesus identified Himself and His mission in relationship with the Father
And man.
Jesus is vine owned by the Father, the care taker. Jesus is source of life,
And the fountain of spiritual fruitfulness of man.
There is a true vine and there are other vines not connected to Jesus.
The other vines are the world influenced by Satan.
John 15:2
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
KJV
It may be that the purpose of Peter’s denial of Jesus the night before His
Crucifixion was to purge him of his pride and to make him see his weakness. Peter’s denial was planed by Jesus to strengthen other
Believers
Luke 22:31-33
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
After Peter’s first sermon, 5000 were saved
1 Corinthians 2:15-16
15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man\’s judgment:
16 \”For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?\”
But we have the mind of Christ.
The evidence of the mind of Christ is the fruit you bear
.John 15:5
If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
We have two types of Believers, Christians
We have those who are active and produce fruit.
We have those who are inactive and produce no fruit
The consequence of not being active is the loss of blessings.
John 15:6
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
This is not a loss of salvation verse. No one is saved by works or his own
Merits. This person was chosen by Christ to be in the branch.
This person chose not to be fruitful and therefore loses blessing.
V:8 This is to my Father\’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
The purpose of all believers is to glorify the Father.
We all have been given gifts and talents to do the work of the Father.
We are well equipped by God.
We have been chosen by God
We are accepted by God
Our work has been appointed and approved by God
We are love by God.
In order to do the work of God we have be totally dependant on Him.
There are 3 levels of fruit. There is fruit, more fruit and much fruit.
Our spiritual objective should be to bear MUCH FRUIT.
What is the fruit?
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentlenesses, and self-control.
What does abiding in Christ look like?
To abide in Christ we have to commit ourselves to GOD
Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Abiding in Christ is pursuing God’s purpose.
John 6:29-30
29 Jesus answered, \”The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.\”
PERSONAL EVIDENCE OF ABIDING
You Reverence God
You Trust God
You fear God
You praise God
You are obedience to His commands
You serve for the Glory of God
Unselfish giving
Prayers
THE CHALLENGE TO ABIDE IN CHRIST
John 15:7
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:7 is a challenge to abide in Christ
We are one with Christ
We have been given a choice to Study His Word
We have the responsibility to meditate on His Word
We have the responsibility to act according to His Word
Must trust His Word
We should study to know God’s promises
We must pray according to His Word
You must be confident that your prayers will be answered.
Psalms 37:4-5
Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
SUMMARY
THE ROAD TO HEAVEN HAS BEED PREPARED BY JESUS
THE ROAD IS PAVED WITH MUCH FRUIT
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO BEAR FRUIT THAT GLORIFIES THE FATHER
CLASS QUESTIONS
IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU ABIDE IN CHRIST?
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ABIDING IN CHRIST?
CAN A PERSON WHO HAS DENIED CHRIST BE REDEEMED?
