Abiding In The Vine Iv Series

ABIDING IN THE VINE IV by Stephen Fournier

John 15:4-15:4

ABIDING IN THE VINE IV

Series on John 15 pt. 9

John 15:4

2/11/07

Most of you know that I enjoy hunting. I love to be out in the woods. Part of why I like to be out in the woods is because usually I am the only person around. I enjoy the peace of not having anyone talking to me, no phones, or distractions and taking in the beauty of God’s creation.

What some of you may not know is that when hunting seasons is over I still enjoy being out in the woods. I like to take my camera and go out an hike around. I like to get pictures of different animals and scenes. Some of my scenes you have seen up on the wall. In fact just last week I took a picture of a porcupine that Elphaba had come across and treed.

Some time when I come across fresh deer tracks I like to follow the tracks to get a picture of the deer. But following deer tracks is not as easy as it sounds. They like to go through thick brush, across streams, up steep hills and so forth. I have found that it is not always easy to walk as a deer walks.

That same thing can be said about our walk with the Lord. It is not always easy to walk as Christ walked.

Listen to 1 Peter 2:21; “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:”

Sometimes following our Lord’s steps leads to suffering, to persecution. But we are still called to follow His steps even though it may not be easy.

Another passage I think of when I think of following in Christ’s steps; Matt. 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Following in Christ’s footstep involves first a desire of Christ. It involves deny ourselves and putting Christ first. Taking up our cross, that is living selflessly, and follow the steps of Christ. It’s not easy.

This bring us to our passage for today. A passage we began to look at last week. That is 1 John 2:4-6.

“He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

Just by way of a quick review. Last week we looked at verse 4 & 5. Verse 4 being the famous liar, liar, pants on fire verse. Verse 5 basically stated what verse 4 states in the reverse way. Verse 4 basically states that if you say that you know Christ and do not do what he commands, then you are a liar. Verse 5 basically is saying that we know that we are in Him by keeping His words or commandments. In other words if you talk the talk you must walk the walk.

Verse 6 is the verse we are focusing on. I stated that the Greek words translated “ought” is “OPHEILO” (a-fay-low). It means “to owe”. It is used in the sense to owe a debt to someone. Or to be obliged to do something.

So in verse 6 we do not have a suggestion to walk as Christ walk when we say we abide in Him, but that if we say we abide in Christ, then we are obliged or we owe it to Him to walk as He walked.

We also pointed out some general observations about walking, that is our Christian walk. Walking as we saw denotes progress. Our walk of faith is to be a walk of growing in Christ. Second, we made note that a single step is not a walk. Being a Christian is more that raising our hand, or going forward, or praying the sinners prayer. Being a Christian, abiding in Christ and therefore Christ abiding in you.

Third we saw that walking is not jumping around. Walking denotes a steady action. We are not be jumping around from doctrine to doctrine. Or as the Scripture states, “…tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” We are not have inching ears as 2 Tim. 4:3-4 tells us.

And finally to walk like Christ, makes this assumption, you know something about Christ. The only way we can know about Christ is to be in His word.

So those are some general things regarding walking with Christ. Let me read to you from 1 John 2:6 once more; “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”