Abide In His Word
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
INTRO:
Today we’re continuing our teaching series called Grow, and it’s all about how to experience true life change, how to experience real life transformation. We’re calling 2020 A Year of Transformation, and the stuff we’re teaching in this series are the very building blocks for transformation. In fact one of the things I love about the Christian life is that it isn’t an episode of transformation, it’s a lifetime of transformation. Jesus doesn’t enter your life for an episode, he spends an entire lifetime with you. It’s the kind of transformation all of us should want, because we all have blind spots in our lives. We all have deep rooted issues that’re keeping us from being fruitful in life. It’s deep rooted issues our will power is powerless to change. Last week we talked about how your will power can change some things, but it can’t change some of the deep rooted issues in your life. Jesus taught us the power to transform our lives doesn’t come from within you, it comes from abiding in him. It’s because He’s the only one who can see all the blind spots, all the deep rooted issues in our lives, and has the power to do something about it. He has the very power to transform every aspect of our lives. So if you want to have a lifetime of transformation, Jesus says it has to start with abiding in him, and this week he’ll teach us how to continue abiding in him. He’ll teach us the 1st of 5 things we can do to continue abiding in the flow of his power not for an episode of transformation, but for a lifetime of transformation. Let’s turn to John 15:1-7 and get into it. If you open your bible to the middle, turn a few books to the right you’ll find John. We’ll be in John 15:1-7. The title of today’s message is Abide In His Word, and here’s the big idea. To abide in Jesus for lasting change, we need to abide in his word...To abide in Jesus for lasting change, we need to abide in his word.
Context:
Here’s your context. John, the author of this book of the bible, records a time in history where Jesus is giving his disciples, his followers some final teachings before he dies. It’s the point in history where Jesus is about to be crucified, he’s about to suffer great pain from Roman persecution, and ch. 15 is at the very heart of Jesus’ final teachings. These aren’t his final words, but they are a central part of his final teachings to his disciples. He’s teaching them how to continue abiding in him, even after his death and resurrection. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
John 15:1-7 states, “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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” Notice in vs. 3 Jesus mentions the “cleansing” aspect of the word. I’ll say more about that later so don’t forget he said that. For now I want you to notice he’s using a gardening analogy to explain how God produces fruit in our lives. He says there’s 2 kinds of branches and 2 kinds of pruning. Those who don’t follow him are the branches that’ll one day be fruitless and cut off from him. But those who do follow him are the branches that’ll be fruitful and trimmed by God throughout life, for further growth and fruitfulness. So if you want to have lasting fruit in your life, if you want to have a lifetime of transformation, Jesus says you need to be connected to him.
Vs. 4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 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.” Jesus says “abide in me” 3 times here, and in vs. 9 he says to “abide in his love.” He actually uses the word abide 11 times in ch 15, and it means to remain in or to make a home in. So part of what it means to abide in Jesus is to remain in his love, make a home in his love, rest in the eternal security of his love. I hit this last week but we need to hit it again because it’s critical to understanding the gospel, and the 5 things Jesus teaches us about abiding in him. The gospel is that Jesus stood in our place on the cross, he took the wrath of God we deserved for our sins. He did this so we could be forgiven of our sins, and rest in the eternal security of his love. This means you don’t have to earn his love through good works, since he freely gives you his love through his death on the cross. Jesus tells us to abide in his love, not to earn his love. So the 5 things he teach us aren’t about earning his love, they’re about things we can do to continually grow in his love. In vs. 4-5 he says just like a branch needs to remain connected to its vine to continue bearing fruit, we need to remain connected to him to continue bearing lasting spiritual fruit. He’s the vine whose power flows in us, doing the deep rooted, life changing pruning our will power can’t do. But it starts with believing in the gospel, with abiding in him and his love.
Vs. 6, “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Okay so there’s the 1st of the 5 things Jesus teaches about abiding in him. It’s to abide in his word, to abide in the bible, and there’s 3 reasons he teaches us to abide in the bible. It’s because:
#1 The Bible Points To Jesus = The reason he tells us to abide in his word in vs 7, is because it points us back to him. The entire bible points us back to him! I mean if you don’t look for Jesus when reading the bible then you’re missing the point, because it’s all about Jesus.
Jesus says in Luke 24:27, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.”
The primary point of the bible is Jesus! It’s to teach us about Jesus and his redeeming work on the cross. The more we see Jesus and grow in awe over what he did on the cross, the more our lives will be transformed by the continual flow of his life giving power and love. It’s why I’m constantly pointing you to Jesus in every message I preach. It’s because you don’t need a motivational speech with a few jokes sprinkled in to humor you. You need the power and love of Jesus to so fill your heart that it transforms you. One of the greatest preachers in history was a guy named Charles Spurgeon, and he said his goal in every message was to plow a trough back to the gospel. A trough is a trench you plowed for water to flow through. Spurgeon’s saying he wanted to plow a trough back to the cross so people could receive the flow of the life giving water of Jesus. Any time we read the bible it’s a reminder of the gospel, a reminder of who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross. It’s a reminder for us to remain connected to him as our vine.
#2 The Bible Is Divinely Inspired = Jesus teaches us to abide in his word because it points us back to him, but also because it’s the divinely inspired word of God. Go ahead and turn to John 14:23-26. Ch 14 is still a part of Jesus’ teaching in ch 15, and so listen to what he says. John 14:23-26, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” Jesus is saying the words he’s spoken are the very words of God. They’re not the words of a rabbi, philosopher, or an enlightened man. They’re the very words of God the Father, they’re the very words of God!
Jesus quoted the bible over 70 different times.
He quoted and treated the stories in the Old Testament as historically accurate, including Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Noah, Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses, manna falling in the desert, even Jonah getting swallowed by a giant fish.
In John 17:17 he says the word of God is truth, meaning it’s infallible, it’s without error!
The bible doesn’t tell us everything, but it does tell the truth about everything it says, because it’s the divinely inspired word of God. He taught the entire bible was the divinely inspired word of God! Vs. 25-26 states, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Jesus is promising the Apostles, those he chose to lead the early church, that the Holy Spirit will help them remember his teachings after he dies. The Holy Spirit will help them accurately record and preserve his teachings in the bible. The Holy Spirit doesn’t help us write new scripture, because that’s the job Jesus assigned only to the Apostles. But the Holy Spirit does teach us and help us to understand scripture...So Jesus teaches #1 the entire bible points to him, #2 it’s all divinely inspired, and #3.
#3 There’s Benefits To Abiding In The Bible = In John 15 Jesus teaches there’s at least 3 benefits to abiding in the bible. There’s more than this, but I’ll give you the 3 I see in the text.
Benefit #1: It Prunes Your Heart. Abiding in the bible prunes your heart. Remember in John 15:3 Jesus said the disciples were made “clean,” by the word he spoke to them. The Greek word for “clean” is from the same root word as “prune,” meaning the word’s been pruning their hearts to make them clean. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” This is one of the reasons we should want to read the bible. It’s because it can reveal some of the blind spots, the deep rooted issues in our lives preventing us from being fruitful. As we abide in the bible, read the bible, even hear the bible preached, it can prune our hearts from things that need pruning so we can bear more fruit. The primary way it does that is by pointing us to the one who makes us clean, which is Jesus.
Benefit #2: Answered Prayers. Another benefit to abiding in the bible is that it leads to answered prayers. In vs 7 Jesus said if you abide in his word you can ask for whatever you wish, and it’ll be done for you. He actually says this 5 times in ch’s 14-16, and he’s not talking about a Napoleon Dynamite prayer “If you vote for me, I’ll make all of your wildest dreams come true.” Instead he’s talking about scripture led prayer! He’s saying our prayers will be answered if they’re rooted in scripture. Too often we treat our prayer life like God’s our butler. We ring the prayer bell expecting God to run off and align His plans with our plans. But that’s not the prayers Jesus is saying will be answered. It’s the scripture led prayers that’re in line with his character and will. In fact that’s what it means to pray in the name of Jesus, it’s to pray in accordance with his character and will. “In the name of Jesus” isn’t a hashtag to your prayers, it’s a reminder to align your heart to the will of Jesus when you pray. I rarely try to do that, I rarely try to align my heart to the will of Jesus when I pray. One of the things I want to start challenging myself to do is to ask how Jesus would pray for the things I’m praying for. I want to start asking WWJP, What would Jesus pray?...Now you can certainly talk to God about whatever’s going on in life. God delights in you trusting Him with your prayers. So you can talk to Him about whatever you want, even ask for whatever you want, but it doesn’t mean you’ll always get what you want. The only prayers guaranteed to be answered, are prayers in line with His will. Abiding in His word can help with that, because can let what we read in the bible, lead the way in what we pray for in life.
Benefit #3: Joyful Fruit. Another benefit to abiding in the bible is it leads to joyful fruit in our lives. Jesus says in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Some translations say to make your joy “complete,” and the implication is our joy’s incomplete without Jesus. Jesus wants his joy to be our joy, but our joy’s incomplete without him. It goes back to what he said in vs 4-5 about remaining connected to him for continual fruit. Like I said last week the gospel isn’t just for salvation, it’s the very power for continual growth and transformation. The gospel’s more than a diving board into a relationship with Jesus, it’s the very pool we’re to soak our lives in! The way we soak our lives in the gospel is by abiding in the bible since it points us to the gospel. This means some of you are limiting the joyful fruit in your life by not abiding in the bible, and some of you are abiding in the bible but you’re not seeking Jesus in the bible. Some of you’ve even been playing in the kiddy pool of the gospel for years, but Jesus wants you to be more committed to your faith and cannon ball into a deeper relationship with him. Jesus wants all of us to have a joyful fruitful life, and the more we abide in his word, the more fruitful our lives will be...as we grow deeper in the vine of Jesus.
Now some of you are like, “I want these benefits, but I don’t understand the bible.” Talk with your small group leader or one of our leaders at our next steps table, we’d love to help with that. “Yeah well I don’t really have the time to read my bible.” I bet your social media, Fantasy Football, and Netflix accounts would prove otherwise...It’s not an issue of time, it’s an issue of priority. We’ll make the time if we view it as a priority. “But I don’t always feel like reading the bible!” Full disclosure...Neither do I!...In fact I rarely wake up craving my bible. Instead I wake up craving coffee and Smithfield bacon...This is why it’s called a spiritual discipline, it’s because you have to discipline yourself to do it even when you don’t feel like it. I was listening to an MMA podcast last week and a guy named Joe Rogan was on it. He said everybody has days where they don’t have energy to train, but you need to discipline yourself to train like you discipline yourself to brush your teeth. What makes it a discipline is you do it even on the days you don’t feel like it. The same is true when it comes to growing our faith muscles. We need to discipline ourselves to abide in the bible, even on days we don’t feel like it. Our 2020 bible reading can help you with that. You can pick it up at our next steps table or on our website. The purpose of that plan isn’t to be a box you check off, it’s to be a guide and a reminder for you to keep abiding in Jesus. I’d also encourage you to take a look at a book we have back there called Why Trust The Bible? It’s an excellent book on why you can trust, that the bible’s the divinely inspired word of God.
The Big Idea:
Look here’s the big idea. To abide in Jesus for lasting change, entails abiding in his word...It entails abiding in his word...The bible is the primary way God speaks to us. The primary way God speaks to us isn’t through prayer, worship music, or even church community, because those things aren’t infallible. We can miss-discern things in prayer, the church can make mistakes, some people might even look at a burnt toast Jesus face and think it’s a sign. Only the bible’s the infallible word of God. The bible’s the primary way God speaks to us, and if you’re not abiding in the bible, then you’re missing out on the primary way God speaks, and limiting the joyful fruit Jesus has for you. So if you want to experience a lifetime of transformation, let it start by believing in the gospel, believing in Jesus and his death on the cross for our sins. Then let it continue with growing deeper in the gospel, by abiding in his word. If you do that, it won’t be an episode of transformation, it’ll be a lifetime of fruitful transformation with Jesus.
ORDINATION OF ELDERS
#1 The Bible Points To Jesus
Jesus says in Luke 24:27, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “All the promises of God find their Yes in him.”
#2 The Bible Is Divinely Inspired
John 14:23-26, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”
Jesus quoted the bible over 70 different times.
He quoted and treated the stories in the Old Testament as historically accurate, including Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Noah, Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses, manna falling in the desert, even Jonah getting swallowed by a giant fish.
In John 17:17 he says the word of God is truth, meaning it’s infallible, it’s without error!
Vs. 25-26 states, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
#3 There’s Benefits To Abiding In The Bible
Benefit #1 = It Prunes Your Heart
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Benefit #2 = Answered Prayers
Benefit #3 = Joyful Fruit
John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Joe Rogan said, “Everybody has days where they don’t have energy to train, but you need to discipline yourself to train like you discipline yourself to brush your teeth. What makes it a discipline is you do it, even on the days you don’t feel like it.”