I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Part FourB

Dr. S. D. Gordon tells of an old Christian woman whose age began to tell on her memory. She had once known much of the Bible by heart. Eventually only one precious bit stayed with her. “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim 1:12)

By and by part of that slipped its hold, and she would quietly repeat, “That which I have committed unto him.” At last, as she hovered on the borderline between this and the spirit world, her loved ones noticed her lips moving. They bent down to see if she needed anything. She was repeating over and over again to herself the one word of the text, “Him, Him, Him.”

She had lost the whole Bible, but one word. But she had the whole Bible in that one word.

—American Holiness Journal

Review:

Context; 9 cures for a troubled heart.

John 14:1 - so not let your heart be troubled.

Imperative - believe in God

Promise of future home

Preparing the way to the Father

Assurance of provision to do work of God

An abiding presence in the Holy Spirit and Himself

A pair of commands

First command was to ABIDE IN ME.

Picture: Christ is TRUE Vine, Father is Vine Dresser, we are Branches. Christ is source of all life, all blessing, all fruit, apart from which we can do nothing.

Command to Abide – Remain, have true connection and relationship to Christ, not mere profession or casual connection…

Read "Slave" by John MacArthur, chapter 1 first section till "What does it mean to be a Christian"

Do we view our status as “Christians” with the same level of commitment, passion, and purpose? Do we define our life, our worth, our purpose, our very identity by Christ?

Is our life defined by our abiding in Him?

Several results from abiding in Christ.

Abiding results in being clean – Vs. 3

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you

Clean – Pure, Clean from guilt, guiltless or innocent.

John 17:17 – Jesus prays for His father to sanctify his disciples in truth, His word is truth. Christ is telling them that because of their faith and obedience to the words of truth He has taught and preached to them, they have been cleansed.

Already they are clean because they have allowed the words of Christ to change and transform them.

Jesus words, upon their acceptance of them, made them clean and fruitful.

Mark of abiding is trusting the words of Christ.

1 John 1:9

Practical application of this – Removes weight of guilt for past sins. Troubled by your past guilt and mistakes? This is the cure.

More than forgiveness, God provides cleansing.

Trust the forgiveness and cleansing provided for you by Christ and trust His grace to be there in the future when you need it.

I struggle with this – even as a kid; EG Soccer trip, two guys were being crude and rude to some girls and I was present, overheard it, and later confessed to my mother because I felt guilty for it.

When we believe and trust God, we can find relief from persisting guilt and remorse over past decisions because we know we have been forgiven and are continually being cleansed.

When are abiding in Him, we are living by faith, living repentant lives, and are continually being cleansed so that we become more and more righteous and holy.

The words of Jesus, when heeded and obeyed, are the life and health that flows through the vine giving health and fruit to the branches in the vine.

When we abide in Him, we come to look more and more like Christ and our lives reflect His righteous conduct and attitude.

Abiding results in bearing fruit – Vs. 4-5

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.

Catch the all inclusive language of this passage.

Cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine

Apart from me you can do nothing.

Apart from the vine, we have no access to life giving nutrients. Apart from the vine, we cannot tap into the soil where we gain what we need to produce fruit.

Without the vine, we are dead.

Ponder practical ramifications of such a statement….

We are utterly and completely dependent on God. Nothing – not one, no one, none, nothing, of no account, naught. We have no value or worth apart from God.

Mikeschair song – Someone Worthy Dying For

"Someone Worth Dying For"

You might be the wife waiting up at nightYou might be the man struggling to provide

You might be the man struggling to provideFeeling like it's hopeless

Feeling like it's hopeless

Maybe you're the son who chose a broken road

Maybe you're the son who chose a broken roadMaybe you're the girl thinking you'll end up alone

Maybe you're the girl thinking you'll end up alonePraying God, can You hear me?

Praying God, can You hear me?Oh, God, are

Oh, God, are You listening?

Am I more than flesh and bone?

Am I more than flesh and bone?Am I really something beautiful?

Am I really something beautiful?Yeah, I

Yeah, I wanna believeI

I wanna believe that

I'm not just some wandering soulThat You don't see and You don't know

That You don't see and You don't knowYeah, I

Yeah, I wanna believe, Jesus, help me believeThat I am someone worth dying for

That I am someone worth dying for

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you freeBut you think you're the one that grace could never reach

But you think you're the one that grace could never reachSo you just keep asking

So you just keep askingOh, what everybody's asking

Oh, what everybody's asking

Am I more than flesh and bone?

Am I more than flesh and bone?Am I really something beautiful?

Am I really something beautiful?Yeah I

Yeah I wanna believeI

I wanna believe that

That I'm not just some wandering soul

That I'm not just some wandering soulThat You don't see and You don't know

That You don't see and You don't knowYeah, I

Yeah, I wanna believe, Jesus, help me believeThat I am someone worth dying for

That I am someone worth dying for

You're worth it, you can't earn it

You're worth it, you can't earn itYeah, the cross has proven

Yeah, the cross has provenThat You're sacred and blameless

That You're sacred and blamelessYour life has purpose

Your life has purpose

You are more than flesh and bone

You are more than flesh and boneCan't you see, you're something beautiful?

Can't you see, you're something beautiful?Yes, you

Yes, you gotta believe, you gotta believeHe wants you to see, He wants you to see

He wants you to see, He wants you to see

That you're not just some wandering soul

That you're not just some wandering soulThat can't be seen and can't be known

That can't be seen and can't be knownYeah, you

Yeah, you gotta believe, you gotta believe that you areSomeone worth dying for, oh

Someone worth dying for, oh

You're someone worth dying for, oh

You're someone worth dying for, ohYou're someone worth dying for

You're someone worth dying for

Apply this to Salvation and eternal life – Salvation by grace through faith alone apart from works….

Lasting legacy - Spiritual heritage and legacy of eternal value comes through Christ –What do godless people leave to and for their children?

For even unbelievers, where does their ability to live, breath, and work come from? Who provides rain and sun for their crops to grow?

Warning: We can easily slip into a false mentality of accomplishment based upon OUR efforts; We can do the WORK of God WITHOUT the strength of God; We can live morally WITHOUT the purpose and desire of God motivating and driving that work.

Breanna posted on Facebook: “When you and I feel insecure, we are more open to God speaking to our hearts. Stability often produces passivity: the same old same old. But upheaval – a move, graduation, a job change, a broken relationship, sickness, a deep disappointment – breaks our hearts, reveals our needs, and somehow opens us up to listen.” David Nasser in A Call to Die.

Trial and temptation are as much blessings as the good things we enjoy in life for they keep us attached to Christ.

Apart from Christ, all we do comes to naught, of no account, is useless and empty.

Must remain attached to Christ, must remain intimate with Him.

Thus scripture says, by your fruit you shall know them. Fruit is not a means to earn our salvation and favor, rather it is the evidence and fruit of it.

Eph 2:8-10 – saved unto good works

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Is your life void of fruit? Is your life producing fruit of eternal value? Are people you coming into contact with turning to God in salvation or deeper spiritual growth?

If not, what might that be saying about you? You are not abiding. Maybe you never were and salvation was not a reality for you. Maybe you are but have permitted an overabundance of things to grow up that are choking the life out of you and preventing fruit from growing. Perhaps, you need to permit God to prune your life; as painful as that might be.

True abiding will result in fruit; the fruit of righteousness and of the Spirit.

Gal 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

These are the natural byproduct of our lives when we are abiding in Christ. Without him, we will never exude these things in our lives.

Carson asserts….the point is clear: continuous dependence on the vine, constant reliance upon him, persistent spiritual imbibing of his life—this is the sine qua non of spiritual fruitfulness. The Christian or Christian organization that expands by external accretion, that merely apes Christian conduct and witness, but is not impelled by life within, brings forth dead crystals, not fruit.

You want a life of fruitfulness? It is only accomplished through abiding in Him and maintaining intimate fellowship with Him.

Abiding results in God granting requests – Vs. 7

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8

If you abide in me…conditional

Again, not earning favors but evidence of relationship.

E.G. – Strange homeless person asks for help; your child or best friend asks for help? Who are you more likely to help? OR When donating and giving to charity, which one are you most likely to help? One who you have a personal connection with in some way.

Words abide in you….memorize, mediate, cherish, and value.

E.G. – I Cherish each time my wife or kids tell me, I love you…I cherish each encouraging word.

If this is true, conditional…if you are abiding and His words are valued and hold authority over you….THEN…Ask (Imperative) whatever you wish…Wish – To will, want, desire

And it will be done for you…Promise

Conditioned and governed by, if you abide in me and I in you and if my words abide in you…

Requests will be conditioned by the heart of God and our relationship to Him and by His word, by His will, but what He desires and is pleased by.

Do you find your requests and desires being changed by the heart of God?

EG – Me; I still enjoy my scifi and fantasy, but I am finding that I no longer enjoy it or crave it as much as I once did. Why? It has nothing to do with God. (The best is when scifi/fantasy and Christian themes overlap!)

Our desires will become conditioned by our relationship to Christ as we abide in Him. And so will our requests.

Abiding glorifies God – Vs. 8

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

By this…

by the bearing of fruit,

by the abiding in Him,

by the asking of God and His granting and fulfilling.

By this…my Father is glorified

Glorify – to honor, to praise, to recognize His worth and value and give specific recognition to it.

We live, breath, and exist to glorify God.

1 Cor 10:31

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

This fruit, the byproduct of our abiding in Christ and our intimate relationship to God the Father glorifies Him because apart from Him, apart from the Son (the Vine) we could do none of it.

By THIS…we glorify God…WHY…because it proves we are His disciples and it reveals the work of change He has wrought in our lives and reveals HIS power and grace.

Fruit is the evidence of being a disciple not the means or cause of it.

Abiding results in Christ’s Joy – Vs. 11

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

These things I have spoken to you, that….MY JOY may be in you…may be full.

Christ knows how troubled their hearts are and He is providing the remedy for all that which ails their hearts (Himself; a command to trust Him, a future home with HIM, a way to the FATHER, provision for all we need, an ABIDING presence in the Holy Spirit, and HIMSELF, and a command to abide in Him) and when we embrace it, we will find joy.

Joy – joy, happiness, gladness

God does not desire for fear to rule our hearts but in the midst of hardship and trial we may have FULLNESS of joy.

Joy is not the absence of hardship but the presence of God at all times.

We can have joy in trial BECAUSE we have HIM. This is the power of abiding in Him. He is the source of our joy, nothing else is.

NOT dependent on good circumstances which the disciples do not have. Joy is dependent on the PERSON of Christ.

We can have JOY, HIS Joy, not the world’s kind of momentary joy in monetary gain, sexual pleasure, drugs, alcohol, or success, but HIS eternal and everlasting joy.

This joy is found when we abide in His love and as we obey completely the commands given to us by the Father.

Conclusion:

God knows out tendency to have troubled hearts. He has made provision in Himself the TRUE Vine for us to have all we need. All we must do is ABIDE in Him and allow His words to abide in us, and we will find joy, peace, and relief from all that ails our troubled hearts.

Will you abide in Him?

Next time, a look at the second command, a command to love one another…until then, go and abide in His love.

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