Tag: John 15

Treasures from Darkness: “Cyrus, I will give you all the treasures of the darkness, all the hoarded treasures and all of the hidden riches of secret places, that you may know I am God.” Isaiah 45:3

Isaiah 45:1-7 Easy-to-Read Version

God Chooses Cyrus to Make Israel Free

45 This is what the Lord said to Cyrus, his chosen king[a]:

“I took you by your right hand to help you defeat nations,
    to strip other kings of their power,
    and to open city gates that will not be closed again.
2 I will go in front of you
    and make the mountains flat.
I will break the city gates of bronze
    and cut the iron bars on the gates.
3 I will give you the wealth that is stored in secret places.
    I will give you those hidden treasures.
Then you will know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 I do this for my servant, Jacob.
    I do it for my chosen people, Israel.
Cyrus, I am calling you by name.
    You don’t know me, but I know you.[b]
5 I am the Lord, the only God.
    There is no other God except me.
I put your clothes on you,[c]
    but still you don’t know me.
6 I am doing this so that everyone will know
    that I am the only God.
From the east to the west, people will know that I am the Lord
    and that there is no other God.
7 I made the light and the darkness.
    I bring peace, and I cause trouble.
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In Isaiah 45, God promised the Israelites release from bondage to Babylon and deliverance for his wayward people through a Persian king named Cyrus.

He says to Cyrus, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name” (Isaiah 45:3 NIV).

During his conquest, Cyrus literally found treasures that the Jews had buried as they were taken into captivity.

Like King Cyrus, who found treasures hidden in the darkness, you, too, can find treasures—hope in the unexpected places of darkness, those painful places of suffering where you would very much like not to be.

God gives you these treasures for two reasons.

First, he does it so you would know that he has the power to intervene in your darkness.

In this verse, God reveals himself as the Lord, the God of Israel.

Over and over in Scripture, he says that he is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Master, the Ruler, and the Deliverer.

He is transcendent, which means he’s above time, space, and matter, and his existence is not dependent on anything outside of himself.

His ways are higher than your ways and his thoughts higher than your thoughts. “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5 NIV).

God is huge and powerful, and he can intervene in your darkness in ways only a transcendent God can do.

You can probably tell amazing stories of the ways God has intervened in your finances, your health, your family, or your career, just when you thought there was no hope of restoration or salvation. He revealed himself as he moved into your darkness and changed everything.

We ask for miracles every single day because we know he is God and we are not.

Sometimes God intervenes in ways that we have begged for.

Other times, he does not.

He may not have intervened in the darkness that has surrounded you or your family in the ways that you desired.

So, what then?

This verse reveals that God will be close to you in your darkness.

He is the Almighty God.

He’s huge, but he is also imminent, which means he is intimate.

He is personal.

He is your helper, your healer, your Savior, your friend, the lover of your wounded soul. This personal and intimate God will be close to you in your darkness because he promised he would be. He’s as close as your next breath.

Something other than Darkness to Ponder 

SOMETHING TO PONDER 

Psalm 112 English Standard Version

The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

112 [a] Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady;[b] he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
    the desire of the wicked will perish!

Darkness is generally something we avoid.

It feels unknown, chaotic, and sometimes even hopeless.

The dark seasons that we endure in our lives are usually the ones we want to forget. We don’t want to revisit those struggles, often, we wonder how anything good could come from our pain.

Yet God is able to transform our dark moments into something beautiful.

This is how we know his light is greater than the darkness that plagues our world! His word says, “I will give you treasures from those dark moments.”

He unpacks rich blessings from those difficult, secret moments.

As he meets us in the dark, it’s then that we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is the Lord! 

There is so much beauty in God’s power to make treasures out of our ashes.

There is so much grace when we realize our failures, in Christ, are the places where we have met God, and he carried us forward.

The lessons that come when we walk through the valley of the shadow become the ones that most profoundly define our character and shape our testimonies. 

If you feel stuck in the dark, remember there are treasures to be gained even in this struggle to find even the smallest pinpoint of light. God is greater than the darkness that covers us. He uses our pain for his glory and our good.  (John 1:5)

Talk It Over

  • When in your life has God intervened in a seemingly hopeless situation?
  • Do you regularly ask God for a miracle because of what you know about his character? Why or why not?
  • How does God show you that he is near when you are walking through a dark time in your life?
Three additional things to meditate and pray upon 

1. Is there a part of your story that you are ashamed of? Ask God to help you release that shame and embrace the promise that he can use our failures for glory.

2. What lessons have you learned through the challenging circumstances you have walked through?

3. Give God thanks for how he has worked out all the pieces of your story for your good. 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Praying …

Psalm 139:1-18 English Standard Version

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

https://translate.google.com/

John 3:16! We Believe! We Belong! We A.B.I.D.E.! Now, We Must Bear Fruit! Our Bearing Fruit as a 2021 Christian.

Henri Nouwen gives us these profound words of wisdom from his experiences.

“We belong to a generation that wants to see the results of our work. We want to be productive and see with our own eyes what we have made. But that is not the way of God’s Kingdom. Often our witness for God does not lead to tangible results. Jesus himself died as a failure on a cross. There was no success there to be proud of. Still, the fruitfulness of Jesus’ life is beyond any human measure. As faithful witnesses of Jesus, we have to trust that our lives too will be fruitful, even though we cannot see their fruit. The fruit of our lives may be visible only to those who live after us.

What is important is how well we love. God will make our love fruitful, whether we see that fruitfulness or not.”

I give you these words to ponder and pray over, give them your due diligence as we turn now to the transcending Word of God for this, today’s devotional effort.

John 15:1-17 NASB

Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, [c]and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit [d]of itself [e]but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him [f]bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [g]prove to be My disciples.

9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

John 15 is one of the best-loved of all the gospel readings, and with good reason. We all want to flourish! And here, in His final words to His disciples, Jesus tells his disciples that if they stay “in him” – rooted in him through the Word and Sacraments – they will lead the kind of fruitful lives that marks his disciples. If they’ll live as Jesus has taught them to live: BELIEVING on God, God, the Son, (John 14:6) they will experience BELONGING to God’s family (Romans 1:6-7), They will A.B.I.D.E. in God’s love through Jesus Christ (John 15:4-6 AKJV).

Building up and Growing Inwardly and Outwardly, Maturing upon each of these, they will inevitably, undeniably, BEAR FRUIT for the Kingdom of God. The ministry and mission and work of God the Holy Spirit will see to all this!

John 16:12-16 Authorized (King James) Version

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

There are three truths I am compelled by John 3:16 to bring to your attention.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God so LOVED the world that He gave us His Son … The Logos (John 1:1-5)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

In these days of great tribulation, socially distant, socially isolated, masks on, mask off, mask and vaccine mandated, are we vaccinated or not, boosted or not, quarantined, virus tested, virus retested, sanitized, government regulated days, there is One who has, against the most catastrophic odds, has OVERCOME it all!

John 16:32-33Authorized (King James) Version

32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Living Father, Son and Holy Spirit, being a believing, belonging, abiding and fruit bearing Christian, under the shadow of these indescribably, undeniably enormous wings, living with absolute maximum confidence in God’s truth, we can all still live impossible Acts 2, Acts 3 and Acts 4 kingdom growth ministry.

1. Remain in the Vine

One of the things which always strikes me about a fruit tree is its innate ability to stand so quiet, without strain or mayhem, while still getting things done. I mean, how does a branch produce fruit without the swirl? Do you know what I mean by the swirl? It’s the striving and chaos and energy I often leave in my wake when I am still trying to make things happen, sometimes even for God. In this passage from John 15, Jesus presents us with an entirely different way.

The word “remains” (abide or dwell) in the Greek means: “not to depart; to continue, to be present; to be held, kept, continually; to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure” (Vines Bible Dictionary)

https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved.html

https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/r/remain.html

The idea is that this is a very restful place to be. If we as the branches remain in Him as the Vine, we draw energy and marrow to produce the fruits of change and transformation He longs to bring about in each of our lives. It’s all about our attachment and connectedness to Him. This doesn’t mean our lives will be void of activity or the high expending of energy, simply that we’re able to draw everything we need to bring forth meaningful fruit that will last. As restfully as a tree beside still waters, because have you ever seen an apple tree freaking out?

2. Embrace The Pruning

Earlier in the chapter Jesus points out that God the Father is the One who prunes our lives so we will be even more fruitful (vs 2). The problem for me, historically, has been quite simple: I don’t always enjoy how God’s pruning process, turns out.

Maybe you and I are in one of those places where God is refining our character by cutting out a massive tumor of greed or vanity or malignant pride. The harsh disease of bitterness is being scraped back. Perhaps that particular false god you were really quite attached to just got lopped off, plummeting to the ground in a most unpleasant way.

As I have learned a bit about gardening over the years, pruning spares the nourishment of the vine for the branches that are most viable. If God is paring back an area that is presently painful, it is only for the bearing of more fruit—A life of greater impact for His glory (vs 8). So let God do His transformational work and have His way in our lives. Don’t resist the “tough love” He is doing.

3. Expect A Harvest

When Jesus says that if we remain in Him, we will bear fruit, this is a promise.

Part of the greatest beauty of a fruit tree is that its prolific bounty is an annual and rather predictable offering. No one looking on any orchard of any fruit tree seems to be all that taken with the fact that these trees will have fruit hanging from its branches – even in the most tribulating of times and nature’s seasons.

In October, for example the Michigan apple is to be expected. In Georgia it is the Peach and In Florida it is the Orange Tree. You can count on them. They have locked within them essential pieces of our existence—like apple cider, apple pie and cider donuts, all kinds of Jams, Jellies, Pies, Desserts uncountable and so on—We have come to depend on the inevitability of these tasty, reliable realities.

How much more can we rely on the spiritual premise that remaining in Jesus means bearing fruit that will last?  In other words, as we abide in our Savior Jesus Christ, we can confidently, equally, expect the fruit He will bring about.

In these most troubling of times of this 21st century, yay we abide in Him so our fruit bearing activity is loving, peaceful, not full of strife. When the Gardener sharpens his shears, may we let Him have His loving way with us. And as we all dwell in the Vine, let us expect the certainty of bearing fruit. Fruit that will last.

We Hold God’s John 3:16 Promises and God’s Truths to be Wholly Self Evident …

In the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, let us pray.

Here’s a contemporary Welsh prayer I discovered in my Face Book Feed.

Lord, we would grow with you
New shoots reaching out
Hands stretched upward
Like leaves newly formed
Soaking up your light and warmth
Lord, we would grow with you

Lord, we would grow with you
In sunshine and rain
In darkness and light
In cold days and summer days
From Springtime to Winter
Lord, we would grow with you

Lord, we would grow with you
And bring forth fruit
That is pleasing to you
Fed by your living water
Giving sustenance to others
Lord, we would grow with you.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

https://translate.google.com/

A.B.I.D.E. The Experience of Knowing and Loving God in Jesus Christ Today

Knowing is not the same as Experiencing! “Knowing” Christ is not mere head knowledge about the Bible and about Christian doctrine. Nor is it just having emotions. To know the Lord Jesus Christ certainly includes intelligent thinking and having feelings, but it is primarily a spiritual experience with the reality of the living God. This knowledge is supernatural (initiated and sustained by God through our trust in him) and it reaches from the heavens to the inner depths of persons, then flows out to other people and the environment. To know Christ today is to experience an interactive relationship with him in the Kingdom of God.

This concept of “Abiding in Christ” is one of the most important experiences we can have and learn life from. The word itself is a verb. Abiding is therefore an action and means to continue, remain, dwell, live, or to lodge. We can then say that to abide in Christ is to remain and continue in, to live and dwell in Christ.

John 15:1-8 J.B. Phillips New Testament

Jesus teaches union with himself

15 1-8 “I am the real vine, my Father is the vine-dresser. He removes any of my branches which are not bearing fruit and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit to increase its yield. Now, you have already been pruned by my words. You must go on growing in me and I will grow in you. For just as the branch cannot bear any fruit unless it shares the life of the vine, so you can produce nothing unless you go on growing in me. I am the vine itself; you are the branches. It is the man who shares my life and whose life I share who proves fruitful. For the plain fact is that apart from me you can do nothing at all. The man who does not share my life is like a branch that is broken off and withers away. He becomes just like the dry sticks that men pick up and use for the firewood. But if you live your life in me, and my words live in your hearts, you can ask for whatever you like, and it will come true for you. This is how my Father will be glorified—in your becoming fruitful and being my disciples.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

When Jesus tells us to abide in Him, there’s a very good reason. So, let’s take a look at this section of Scripture. Let’s take a few moments, devote ourselves, to know why abiding is so critically important to living the Christian experience.

“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5b NKJV)

• Here our abiding in Christ directly affects our work and responsibilities

“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 NKJV)

• Here our abiding in Christ, or lack thereof, directly affects our eternal life

“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 NKJV)

• Here our abiding in Christ directly affects our communication with God

“Whoever abides in Him does not sin.” (1 John 3:6a NKJV)

• Here our abiding in Christ directly affects our walk with God

A proper understanding of what it means to Abide in Christ is therefore critical.

We discover it was such an abiding relationship that Jesus had with the Father, which energized and defined His ministry. When he’s confronting the religious leaders who said He was blaspheming by calling Himself the Son of God, Jesus said,

“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:37-38 NKJV)

When Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus said,

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:10 NKJV)

Speaking of the coming resurrection of believers, Jesus talks about how vital this connection with His Father is.

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30 NKJV)

Jesus had an intimate abiding relationship with the Father, and we must then ask ourselves this important question; if this relationship was necessary for His ministry, then how important today such an intimate abiding relationship with Jesus is required if we are going to live fruitful, effective lives here on earth.

This is actually Jesus’ prayer for us.

“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21 NKJV)

Returning back to our text, Jesus says that just as a branch needs to be vitally connected to the vine, so believers need to be vitally connected to Him. Just as Jesus could do nothing outside the Father’s will, we can do nothing on our own. We need this vital connection, and then we can say like the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:10-13 NKJV)

Therefore, when we DO learn how to abide in Christ, He will provide life and strength so we can live productive and effective lives. But even more, we can experience intimate fellowship with God, experience belonging to His family.

Being welcomed members of God’s family, we have all the power and privileges that go along with it. Our only problem is while it’s all ours, we don’t know how to fully experience them, because we have not learned how to abide in Christ.

The more we actively share Christ’s life and let Him share ours, the more we’ll enjoy the full benefits of being branches attached to the vine, that is, members of His body and sharers of His grace and belonging to His Kingdom. We also tap into His utterly limitless protection, strength, guidance, and companionship.

This knowledge of the reality of God’s presence and action in our lives is the true foundation of life and faith. Biblical faith in God (our trust or confidence in him) as opposed to sight (physical circumstances and our feelings about them), not knowledge. By Faith We Experience, We Understand. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. (Hebrews 11:1-2 NKJV). Experiencing Christ =’s our Testimony.

Faith is based on previous experience and previous knowledge of reality and then extends outward echelons beyond that. We can know the reality of Christ — historically and reasonably, certainly, but also personally and spiritually.

“Now this is eternal life,” Jesus prayed, “that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

Are WE Experiencing Intimacy with Jesus?

We call this knowledge of God “Intimacy with Jesus.” It’s us having the kind of relationship with Jesus which he has with the Father — he shows us this divine life throughout the Gospels and provided our access to this through his cross and resurrection. Jesus’ word for this divine intimacy is abide. Recall that Jesus said, “Abide in me as I abide in the Father, and you will bear much fruit.” (My paraphrase; see John 15:1-17.)

Intimacy with Jesus is the source of everything that is good in our lives. The blessing of enjoying God’s love, the wisdom to live right and well, and the power to advance God’s kingdom all are based in our intimacy with Jesus. But how do we know if we’re truly intimate with Jesus? What does it mean to abide in Christ? There are a lot of different ideas about this floating around today!

The experience of knowing Christ today is somewhat unique to each person but it includes some interrelated aspects that anyone can experience. Once we’ve had a taste of intimacy with Jesus, we find it so wonderful we want to experience it all the time! We might even secretly wish that we could bottle it! Except, our experience of intimacy with Jesus is not under our control; it ebbs and flows — varying by personality, season of life, and the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.

It is ONLY but by the Grace of God that We A-B-I-D-E in Christ Together!

It’s only by God’s grace to us through Jesus Christ that we can know him personally and collectively. But grace does not mean being passive. Grace is opposed to earning, but not effort. It’s up to each of us to respond to God’s initiative and learn to, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

To grow in grace begins with being “born from above” (John 3:3). It’s only as we confess our sins and put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, and we enter into the eternal kind of life with Jesus in the Kingdom of the Heavens. Abiding in Christ begins with the new birth.

The grace of God is meant to go beyond forgiving our sins, it also to heal our hurts, fill our emptiness, and give us strength for life and work. Ultimately, God’s grace is not just “underserved merit,” but it’s also God acting powerfully and kindly in our lives. 

This is essential because we need God! But are we connected with our needs and emotions? If not, then we cannot very well connect to God. To know and experience God at work in our lives requires that we be emotionally honest and vulnerable with God and with people we trust in the body of Christ.

To understand abiding we need to remember our relationships with God, and with others, and with self are very much intertwined. God is a community and relationship with God is communal. The Greatest Commandment that Jesus gave us is a golden triangle of love (Mark 12:29-31). “We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19) and a primary way which God shows his love for us is through our genuine “love one another” relationships in the Body of Christ.

A-B-I-D-E in Christ

Let’s highlight five essential and diverse aspects of abiding in an interactive relationship with Christ.

To A-B-I-D-E in Christ is:

Awe-Filled Wonder for God

Psalm 100 The Message

100 1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser… I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1, 5, ESV)

  • This is the focus of knowing Christ today.
  • Worshiping Jesus and his Father — it’s about God, not me! We worship God not just by singing songs of praise to him but by bringing our daily lives straight into his kingdom or government and doing that together.
  • Appreciating God (e.g., the beauty of his creation, forgiveness for our sins, and the gift of eternal living with him).
  • Being humbled in God’s presence — even in adoring silence, looking to him and waiting on him.

Becoming like Jesus

1 John 2:4-6 The Message

4-6 If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.

“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… This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:10, 12, ESV)

  • This is the bottom line of knowing Christ (this is observable by others).
  • Becoming like Jesus is more than behavioral obedience, it means your character — who you are when you’re not performing on stage — is being transformed by God’s grace to be the kind of person who obeys Jesus’ teachings from your heart.
  • We are to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit, especially love for one another in the Body of Christ and love for our neighbors, but also (gasp) to show love even for our enemies (e.g., “Bless those that curse you.”)

In-formed by the Word

Romans 12:1-2 The Message

Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7, ESV)

  • This is the reasonableness of knowing Christ today.
  • To be in-formed by Scripture is more than head knowledge — it’s relying on God’s words through study, meditation, and prayer so that they live in you and draw you closer to Jesus.
  • We’re to live in an ongoing conversational relationship with God, guided by the teachings of the Bible (like the Psalmist).

Devoted to God

Psalm 63:1-4 The Message

God—you’re my God!
    I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
    traveling across dry and weary deserts.

2-4 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
    drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
    My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
    My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love… No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:9, 15)

  • This is the heart of knowing Christ today.
  • Devotion to God is not just an emotion or impulse that comes and goes, it’s the soul’s longing for more and more of God, to love him more and to experience him more.
  • We cry out for God because we need his love to cover our sins, heal our hurts, and empower us to overcome our struggles.
  • If your heart is for God then you’ll be affectionate with him, showing a special tenderness for the Lord which at special times may be felt as “the Jesus burn” like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus experienced.
Experiencing the Holy Spirit

“Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9 and 10, NIV)

Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28, 30, ESV)

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, ESV)

  • This is the blessing of knowing Christ today.
  • To experience life with God is to enjoy the “easy yoke” and “light burden” that Jesus offers in your day-to-day life — the hope that is an anchor for the soul, the peace that passes understanding, the joy unspeakable and full of glory.
  • “Experience” is not the same thing as emotions, though it normally includes our feelings. Experiencing involves all the functions of our person: thinking, awareness, observations of our environment, memory, emotions, willing/choosing, bodily sensations and activity, social connections, and soul.
  • We can grow in our confidence and courage to Venture on God and then finding that indeed the hand of the Lord was at work, what you accomplished was more than you could’ve done on your own.
  • Occasionally we may also experience supernatural manifestations like hearing God’s voice (usually as divinely inspired thoughts or impressions), feeling the “warmth of the Spirit” or tingling in your body, or having visions.

What does “abiding” in Christ look like? Praying about everything, feeding on and experiencing wondrous truth, His Word daily, and obediently following His lead throughout the week. It is our listening to and singing worship music that helps you to focus your whole being on praising and believing and trusting Him.

Every Christian I know wants to live an effective life for Jesus. The #1 key to our succeeding in this is striving, abiding in him. Abiding in Christ is foundational to centering our whole life around God. Tapping into Christ’s presence and His power is what will allow us to bear good fruit in this life. It is my true hope after today we’re more equipped and empowered to live out a life centered about God.

In the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, let us pray,

Dear Father, Who art in heaven, I raise to thank You that You are my heavenly Husbandman and that You tend my life with such care and concern. Cleanse me and prune me and take away anything that you discover in me that does not glorify Your holy name.

Thank You, Father, that I am a heavenly branch that is united to my heavenly Vine, the lovely Lord Jesus Christ. May His life flow through mine as sap flows through the branch that is engrafted into its parent stem. Fill me with His fullness so that I may live and move and grow and bear fruit as I abide more and more in Him. In Jesus’ name, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

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