Abiding In Christ
"“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 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. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 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. “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. 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. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 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." (John 15:1-10)
We see from this passage that Jesus is the true vine. Jesus said in John 14:6 that “He is the way, the truth, and the life.” He is the only one who we ought to cling to for “all who ever came before Him were thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). In Deut. 10:20 it says
"You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast." In Acts 17:28 it says “for in Him we live and move and have our being.” And in Deut. 30:20 it says “He is our life and the length of our days.” His Father is the vinedresser or farmer and we are His branches. What does the word abide mean? It means: to remain, to stay, to hold fast to. So we need to abide in Christ for He is our life. Apart from the vine, the branch is dead and fruitless.
So we will be looking at:
1. How to Abide?
2. Reasons to Abide
3. Tests of Abiding
HOW TO ABIDE?
1. BY PARTAKING OF CHRIST
"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." (John 6:56)
It doesn’t mean to literally partake of His flesh and His blood but spiritually we take Him in like food and He becomes part of us.
2. BY ABIDING IN HIS WORD
"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”" (John 8:31-32)
3. BY KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS
"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." (John 15:10)
"Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. (1 John 3:24)
4. BY ABIDING IN THE TEACHING OF CHRIST
"Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9)
5. BY THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." (1 John 2:27)
REASONS TO ABIDE
1. TO BEAR MUCH FRUIT. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF FRUIT 1. INWARD: THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT (Love, peace, joy, etc. Gal. 5:22-23) AND 2. OUTWARD: SEEING SOULS SAVED.
"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. “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." (John 15:4-5)
2. WITHOUT HIM WE CAN DO NOTHING
A branch if it doesn’t abide in the vine it can do nothing. Without Christ we can do nothing. He is our sufficiency and our strength. In Philippians 4:13 it says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
3. TO SEE ANSWERS TO PRAYER
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7)
IF WE WANT TO SEE ANSWERS TO PRAYER, WE NEED TO ABIDE IN HIM.
4. SO WE WILL NOT WITHER AND DRY UP SPIRITUALLY
"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." (John 15:6)
5. SO WE WILL NOT BE ASHAMED BEFORE HIM WHEN HE RETURNS
"And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 John 2:28)
WE DON’T KNOW WHEN CHRIST WILL RETURN. MAY IT NEVER BE THAT WHEN HE RETURNS, HE FINDS US SINNING AND NOT ABIDING IN HIM.
TESTS OF ABIDING
1. TO WALK AS HE WALKED
"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." (1 John 2:6)
2. THAT WE LOVE THE BRETHREN
"He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him." (1 John 2:10)
3. THAT WE ARE KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS
"Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24)
4. THAT WE ARE NOT HABITUALLY PRACTICING SIN - THAT WE DON’T CONTINUE IN SIN BUT REJECT AND REPENT OF IT AND CONFESS AND REGRET IT. IT DOESN’T MEAN WE WILL NEVER SIN OR WE WILL BE PERFECT, BUT WE DON’T SIN AS A WAY OF HABIT.
"Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." (1 John 3:6)
SO WE LOOKED AT HOW TO ABIDE IN CHRIST, REASONS TO ABIDE, AND TESTS OF ABIDING. NOW HOW DO WE KNOW NOW THAT CHRIST IS ABIDING IN US?
"Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24)
WE KNOW BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN US HIS HOLY SPIRIT
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)