Abiding In Christ Part Two Series

Abiding in Christ part two

John 15:9-17

Good Morning Everyone- Glad you have joined us.

Please turn to John 15 as we continue the study part two of “Abiding in Christ” Finding our Connection with the Lord and with others.

Remember last week- The relationship and connection that Jesus has with the Heavenly Father is what He desires for each of us. He is the model of that relationship.

You have to understand that this passage is not about salvation because without salvation and a born again experience you cannot be connected with the Lord. That happens first and then a personal relationship

The Lord by Prevenient Grace will move you toward a relationship with him but you cannot connect without it. (Prevenient Grace is God making the first move)

There are a lot of people that believe that they know God but are not connected. They know of God but do not know God.

Jesus says in John 15: (1) - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (4) “Remain in me, and I remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” (7) “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Jesus says that if you are to have the relationship that Jesus has with the Father that you need to know Jesus-“ No man comes to the Father except through Jesus”-

If you know Jesus, you know the Father because they are one in Spirit. Connection-

Jesus will to do the work of the Father, and all who the Father gives Jesus will abide in Christ.

It seems like a play on words but it is not.

To know the Father is to know Jesus and to know Jesus is to be connected and doing kingdom work and if you are connected with Jesus, the Father will prune you and you will bear much fruit because you are connected and not doing things in your own strength but in the strength of the Lord and will be doing the will of the Father.

LIVE FOR HIM, SERVE HIM, AND DEPEND ON HIM EVERYDAY OF YOUR LIFE.

On Wednesday study, we looked at one verse for almost the whole hour- “My God will meet (supply) all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

My God- personal relationship with Him

Supply- He knows your needs and desires to meet them

Glorious riches- kingdom riches found in Jesus Christ not your own personal talents, resources.

Personal God given talents are good but you are limited in them and with the Lord in His abundance is unlimited when we operate by abiding in Him!

Here is another verse to spend some time on if you are a believer from our text from last week.

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

You want to find out if you are connected? - Are you doing things that are above your pay grade? Doing things above your own talents and resources?

Do you allow the Father to prune you and get rid of the dead branches or are you dead branches just waiting to fall off or be pruned?

When you are connected and your doing what the Lord tells you- he says (7) “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

If we do not have this right, we cannot have a right relationship with each other.

Most people are mad at God, mad at other people and mad at themselves and then they wonder why their life is miserable.

You know what is the problem with most motivational speeches? They motivate but they do not tell you how to do what they are trying to motivate you to do! (Repeat)

If you do not do what you know to do it was just a motivational speech- wow…if what was said does not change the way you live- it did not accomplish anything of value.

We must understand what it is to abide in Christ-

The Origin of the Word “Abide”

Abide is an old English word for “remain,” “stay steady” and “keep your position.” What it means to abide in Christ—that is, always to be resting on him, anchored to him, fixed in him, drawing from him, continually connected and in touch with him—

We said last week, it was staying connected to the vine (Jesus) and allowing yourself to be pruned and used for God’s kingdom. So how do we do that?