Remain In Me
(John 15:4, 9-10)
ILLUSTRATION: It was a dark and stormy night when a lady was on a boat crossing Lake Michigan. The lightning, thunder, and rain made her very nervous. She saw jagged rocks jutting above the surface of the lake. In fear, she asked the captain, “Do you know where all the rocks are out there in the lake?”
“No,” the captain replied, “I don’t, but I do know where it’s safe.”
As many of you know and can attest to as we travel or “sail” through this earthly life, we are going to see lots of “rocks” out there. “Rocks” of depression, illness, slander, deception, temptation, confusion, loneliness, fear and many more. Some of these ‘rocks’ you will know how to avoid others will come upon you as a surprise. The important thing to know is “where it’s safe.”
This morning I want to bring a message to you that I’ve entitled Remain In Me in which we are going to explore this place of safety. All of us have been battered by the storms of life and thrown against these at different times in our lives. Some of us are going through these storms right now. Suffering is nothing new. It is one of the results of original sin that has affected mankind from the very beginning. But even knowing that we are not alone in our times of trouble, doesn’t always make those times easier to bear.
As Christians, many of us have the head knowledge about Christ and His special love for us during these times of pain. We know that the Bible tells us that our times of hardship are only temporary. We know that we can trust God to deliver us safely through them. We know that there are better things to come. But sometimes even knowing all these promises doesn’t seem to quiet the fear or pain or doubts that sometimes plague us.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
How would you like to be inwardly renewed day by day? How would you like to know that Christ is your dwelling place, your home, your place of safety, peace, and hope? How would you like to always have a deep connection with Christ that stamps out all those doubts, fears, and confusion we feel when going through the trials of life? Would you like to always be right in the middle of God’s will every day of your life? These things are possible, and we find the secret to experiencing them is found in the very words of Christ in John 15:4.
John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you…”
I. What Does It Mean to “Remain In Christ and He Will Remain In Me”?
While experiencing a time of fear and doubt recently, these words kept repeating themselves in my mind. And I believe that God was speaking them directly to my heart, spirit, and mind. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” I instantly took comfort from the thought of Christ remaining in me. I could understand that promise. Having Christ remain in me was having Christ with me all the time, constantly guiding, upholding, comforting, and strengthening me.
But I also realized that this promise comes with a condition. And the condition for Christ remaining in me, is that first I must remain in Him. So, naturally I looked these words up in the Bible and then asked for His wisdom in understanding what exactly it means for me to “remain in Christ.”
The best way I can explain remaining in Christ is to think of a faucet. When a faucet is closed no water can come out. When the faucet is open water can then flow from the spout. The wider the valve is opened the more water comes out. If the valve is opened as wide as it can, the water can flow freely and continually without any impediment whatsoever.
Remaining in Christ is like having that water faucet turned on and the valve wide open. In order for Christ, who is the living water, to remain in us, we first have to turn on the water faucet. The wider we open the valve the more of Christ can flow into our lives. So in order for Christ to remain in us, we have to first turn on the faucet. So how do we do that? How do we remain in Christ? How do we open the valve?
A. To Have No Known Sin Unjudged and Unconfessed
The first way is to make sure that we have no known sin in our lives that has gone unjudged or unconfessed. The one thing our holy God cannot abide, in fact the only thing that can separate us from Him and all He has in store for us, is sin.
God judges sin severely. The Bible tells us that the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). And because no one could pay the punishment for sin and live, Jesus paid the price for us (Romans 5:8).
Christ died as a punishment for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to, so that we could live. And anyone who believes this, who confesses their sins, and accepts this gift is saved (Romans 10:9-10). Our sins are covered by the blood of Christ and washed away.
But everyone who has been a Christian for very long knows that even when we don’t intend to, Christians still sin. Pride, envy, gossip, slander, murmuring, worry, fear, lying, adultery, fornication, drunkenness, - the list of sins committed by Christians could go on and on.
However, just because we still fall into sin, doesn’t mean we are without hope. Some of the most beautiful words in the Bible are written in 1 John 1:9, “For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If you want Christ constantly renewing you, if you want to always feel His presence, strength, peace and comfort, if you want to live a life free from fear and doubt, then you must keep the water faucet turned on by making sure you have no known sin in your life that has gone unconfessed and unjudged at the cross. Nothing can clog the pipe faster or more securely than sin.
ILLUSTRATION: One few weeks ago I went to make myself a cup of coffee and ended up with one of the strongest cups of coffee I’ve ever had. It was so strong I could only drink about half of it and that was after doctoring it up with sweetener and flavored creamer. The rest I had to dump out.
What made my coffee so strong that morning, when other mornings it was just fine? I added the same amount of coffee grounds and water as I always do. The problem was that the coffeemaker had gotten limed-up. After a while the lime in the hard water that I put into the coffeemaker had built up and blocked the flow of water through the coffee grounds. Because the water couldn’t flow freely, it was taking it a lot longer to filter through the grounds. Therefore the water was taking on more and more coffee before passing into the pot below. This made for some terribly strong coffee.
Unconfessed sin in the lives of believers is like that lime in the coffeemaker. If not cleaned out, it will build up to the point that it will block of flow of Christ’s living water into our lives. We end up useless, too full of darkness and sludge to be any good. Fear, worry, doubts, and confusion enter our lives in stronger and stronger quantities until, like that cup of coffee, we become bitter and foul.
Too many Christians today are too full of junk to be of any use to God. They aren’t getting the full benefits of the Living Water in their lives. Their faucets have been limed up and shut down by sin.
Confess any known sin in your life. Ask the Lord to show you if there is any unknown sin present as well. Then repent and confess it. Clear the lime out and open up the flow of water. Remain in Christ and you will experience the benefits of having Him remain in you.
B. To Have No Part of Anything God Is Not Involved In
The second way to remain in Christ and make sure that the valve remains wide open is to take no part or interest in anything that He is not involved in. Trying to do something or be a part of something that God is clearly not a part of us like trying to get fresh clean water out of a sewer pipe.
If you are thirsty you don’t go drink out of a drainage ditch. Likewise, if you need comfort and wisdom from God, you won’t find it at the bottom of a bottle or in the arms of a stranger. Christians, who should know better, have a terrible tendency to run to the world for answers to their problems instead of God.
If we have a problem with finances, instead of turning to God and trusting Him for provision, we go out and buy a lottery ticket or take a trip to the bank to take out another loan. If we are worried about losing our jobs due to downsizing, instead of trusting God to sustain us we gripe and complain to all who will listen, seek the advice of complete strangers, and give ourselves ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks.
We also have the detrimental tendency to seek our entertainment from sources which God is not involved in. We watch television shows and movies, visit Internet sites, read books and magazines which we know are not fruitful to our walk with Christ. We have friendships with people who are bad influences.
We are thirsty, and trying to get nourishment from the septic tank instead of from the River of Life. It doesn’t make sense, and yet we do it all the time and then wonder why we can’t feel God in our lives.
2 Corinthians 6:17, “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean things, and I will receive you.”
2 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
If you want to remain in Christ and have Him remain in you, then don’t have anything to do with the attitudes, actions, opinions, behaviors, friendships, or pastimes that aren’t pleasing to Him.
C. To Live a Life Of Dependence On God
The third thing that remaining in Christ means is living a life that is totally dependant on Him. If the water faucet has been turned off and you are drinking from other sources, you will soon die. Just as our physical bodies can’t live without water, our spiritual lives can’t live without Christ, the Living Water.
Each person has a direct water line to God. If ours isn’t open or if it’s plugged by sin, we will soon die spiritually. We can’t tap into another person’s line. We can’t rely on their faith to save us. We can’t open or unplug our own lines by our own strength. Nor can we renew our relationship with Christ by being good enough or doing so many things in an effort to please God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – [9] not of works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Only true repentance and confession of sins and faith in and reliance upon Christ can keep our water lines open. And only with our lines open will we be able to live.
Too many people, Christians included, live as if they are self-sufficient creatures. We need to realize however, that we can’t even take our next step or breathe our next breath without God allowing us to do so. We are not in control, no matter what we believe. We are totally dependent upon God for all forms of life: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Instead of trying to do everything ourselves when we lack the ability to even open our eyes in the morning without God’s permission, we need to put our complete dependence in the hands of God. He is the only source of life – the only One who can sustain us. Proverb 8:35-36, “For whoever finds me [Christ] finds life and receives favor from the Lord. [36] But whoever fails to find me harms himself; al who hate me love death.”
D. Dying To Self
Remaining in Christ also means dying to self. Dying to self is like taking your hand off the water faucet and giving control of it over to God. When you do this you no longer have control over whether you receive the life giving water from the faucet or not – God does.
But if we are honest with ourselves we should realize that we were never really good at keeping the water we need flowing anyway. Like the child who loves to pay at the sink, we keep turning the faucet on and off trying to see what will happen and how we can control the flow. What we don’t seem to realize is how much we are depriving and harming ourselves every time we slow down or cut off our water source.
Giving God control of the faucet and the flow of Living Water into our lives is the only smart thing we can do. Only He knows how much water we need, when we need it, and how to keep it flowing.
As Christians we must die to our selves. Die to our own wants and desires. Die to our own understandings and wills. We must let Christ take control and quit trying to wrestle the faucet away from Him. He knows what is best for us and He loves us completely. He will see to it that we always have what we need, when we need it, and in just the right amount.
In 1 Corinthians 15:31, the Apostle Paul says that, “I die every day….” Dying to self is a life long process and sometimes we have to die to ourselves moment by moment as we struggle to keep our hands off the faucet handle. We want to be in control, and when we are we only make matters worse. Sometimes God has to slap our hands to stop us from grabbing on and adjusting the flow of water.
It’s difficult and goes against every fleshly instinct, but die to yourself, Christian. Remain in Christ and keep your hands off the faucet.
II. What It Isn’t
So now that we have a picture and general idea of what it means to remain in Christ, I want to briefly mention what it doesn’t mean.
A. No Suffering
Remaining in Christ, having the water flowing unhindered does not mean we won’t have times of suffering. While physical water keeps us alive, it doesn’t stop us from coming to physical harm. Even healthy people can experience the occasional cold, accident, or natural disaster. Water keeps us alive but it doesn’t miraculously keep other people from speaking lies about us. Even Jesus Christ suffered and died physically.
What remaining in Christ does do is strengthen our spiritual immune systems. It helps us fight off illness. It helps us get through the tough times with greater strength. It shortens the amount of time and sometimes even the degree of suffering we face.
B. Life Will Be Easy
Likewise, remaining in Christ doesn’t mean life will automatically be easy. We still live in a dirty, sin-stained, life-sapping world. Just because we have clean living water flowing from the faucet doesn’t mean we won’t be touched or affected by something dirty. It doesn’t mean we won’t trip up and fall into a mud puddle. What it does mean is that when we sin or get dirty, we don’t have to stay dirty. We will be washed and renewed by the living water of Christ if we remain in Him and He in us.
C. Everyone Will Like Me
Nor does remaining in Christ mean that suddenly everyone is going to like you or like being around you.
John 15:18, “If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first.”
People will see how clean you are with the Living Water of Christ flowing through you. Some will like what they see and desire what you have. But most will hate you, because your cleanliness will make them more aware of how filthy they are. Remaining in Christ will be all the more difficult because you will be fighting the world and your own natural instincts.
III. How to Remain In Christ
So, now that we know what it mean to remain in Christ and what it doesn’t mean. Let’s take a look at one final question. How? How do we remain in Christ?
The answer to that is found back in John 15:4, 9-10, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you…. [9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. [10] If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
Did you catch it? How do we remain in Christ? How do we keep the faucet turned on? Verse 10 tells us, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love.” There it is as plain as day. Obey His commands.
If you are experiencing worry over situations you have no control over, remain in Christ by obeying His commands. What are His commands concerning worry?
Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
If someone has betrayed your trust and you are struggling with hurt and resentment, remain in Christ by obeying His commands. Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
If fear of tomorrow has you in its grip, remain in Christ by obeying His commands. Mark 5:36, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
When you have a day when nothing seems to be going your way, remain in Christ by obeying His commands. Matthew 16:25, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Whenever I find that my mind keeps dwelling on fears, or doubts, or temptations I find that I can remain in Christ when I obey Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
And if you find yourself having trouble obeying God’s commands then ask for His help in doing so. God wants you to remain in Him. He wants to give you peace and strength. He wants to calm your fears. So, just ask Him for the ability to obey His commands so that He can remain in you.
If you want that deep connection with Christ that drives out fear and doubt, that renews you day by day, that comforts and sustains you – then keep the faucet on. Repent and confess your sins. Avoid all unrighteousness. Give God complete control of every area of your life. Remain in Christ by obeying His commands.
Philippians 4:9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Sermon Sources:
“No, But I Do Know Where It’s Safe”, A Treasury of Bible Illustrations, © 1995 by AMG INTERNATIONAL, INC.
