Sermon Central
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Abiding In Christ
Contributed by Albert Corey on Jul 3, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: God the Father is the vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches
ABIDING IN CHRIST
1. "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 prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6. "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.
7. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9. "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10. "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.
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
I would like to talk about what it really means to abide in Christ and what happens in our lives as a result.
Webster’s defines abide as to endure without yielding, to bear patiently, to accept without objection, to remain stable or fixed in a state, to continue in a place.
Strong’s concordance #3306 (Greek word Meno for abide) says it means (to stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy); Other words that are used interchangeably are, continue, dwell, endure, be present, reunion, stand, tarry (for).
John 15:1-10 shows us the importance of abiding in Christ and what can be a result in our lives if we are faithful to continually abide in Christ.
4. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
II. ABIDING IN CHRIST - WHAT IT IMPLIES.
As we begin to look at this wonderful subject, let’s consider, first of all, what abiding in Christ implies in our lives.
1. Abiding In Christ Implies We Are One With Christ.
4. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
This was one of the foremost things on the heart of Jesus as He prayed for us in John 17. His desire was that we would experience that same oneness that He and the Father experience. The union between the Father and the Son was inseparable. Jesus told Philip, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father."
20. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
21. "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.
22. "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
We are a part of Christ and He is a part of us. We are inseparable. To abide in Christ is to continually abide in His presence. He will never leave nor forsake us. In fact we are seated with Him in the heavenly realm.
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5. even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6. and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
2. Abiding In Christ Implies That We Are In Communion With Him.
2 Corinth. 13:14
14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The Greek word for communion is koinonia, which means having a common partnership or fellowship. It denotes sharing which one has in anything, participation, fellowship recognized and enjoyed. It involves a participation in the knowledge of the Son of God, the sharing in the realization of the effects of the blood as set forth by the emblems in the Lord’s supper and participation in what is derived from the Holy Spirit.
