Sermon Tone Analysis

Abiding in the Word

 

May 21, 2006

John 15:1-8

 

Today I’d like to take up the role of a realtor and sell you some properties in a really rich neighborhood.

The word “abide” in our key verse this morning means to take up residence.

So where is the best address?

Are you ready to take a tour with me?

Our first address is Psalm 91:1.

Let me know when you have it.

/“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will abide (find rest) in the shadow of the Almighty.”/

.Would you like to be there?

In the shadow of His wings!

Let’s move on.

Down the street a little ways is our own address: Proverbs 15:31.

Let me know when you get there/.”

\\ If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.”

/ WE all want to live amongst the wise, don’t we?

Our next step in our virtual tour is John 8:31 Got it?

/“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "If you abid in My Word you are My disciples indeed.

“ /At this address we have assurance from the King of Kings of belonging in His neighborhood.

Let’s move on, for we have two more stops to make.

The next address is 1 John 2:10: /“ \\ He who loves his brother abides in the light.”

/ This address provides a wealth of electricity providing light galore!

Our last stop on our real estate hunt this morning is right across the street at the prestigious address of 2 John 1:9.

Who would like to read what our real estate guide has to say about this hot property?

/“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.

He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

“ /That hot property guarantees not only the best neighborhood in town, but also invaluable potential – eternity down the road.

Now, let’s look at our key passage for this morning, a passage which seven times tells us the most valuable residence we can ever hope to find.

Turn once again to John.

We are still in the fifteenth chapter./“Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples”./

Last week we discovered that God wants us to be fruitful, as this glorifies Him.

But to be fruitful we must be in prayer and in His Word.

We must abide in Him.

The New Living Translation says we must remain in Him, so let’s read this passage again using the word “remain” instead of “abide”: “/Remain in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in Me.

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who remains in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples”./

The reason prayer has such great potential for changing things is God.

And the reason prayer is surrounded by such difficult problems is God.

If it weren't for the power of God over natural process and over the human will, there would be no hope in praying for change in the world or in people.

And it is that very same power and prerogative of God that creates the problems we stumble over in prayer.

Two of the biggest problems are: 1) that our prayers, even those we have prayed for a thousand times, are sometimes not answered as we ask; and 2) why pray anyway, because if God is sovereign and controls and plans all things, what's the point in praying?

Let’s examine this point more carefully.

If God is Sovereign, why pray?

If God is sovereign and governs the world by his providence, why pray?

This question was asked of Pastor~/speaker John Piper in Atlanta a few months ago before about 2,000 people after he had spoken on the Providence of God.

He gave an answer, and since then have found the answer expressed so well by one better that he prefers to use the answer of Charles Spurgeon, which is exactly what I am going to do.

This is from a sermon Spurgeon preached on Luke 11:9, "Ask and it will be given you."

It is our full belief that God has foreknown and predestinated everything that happens in heaven above or in the earth beneath, and that the foreknown station of a reed by the river is as fixed as the station of a king, and "the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses."

Predestination embraces the great and the little, and reaches into all things; the question is, wherefore pray?

Might it not as logically be asked wherefore breathe, eat, move, or do anything?

We have an answer which satisfies us, namely, that our prayers are in the predestination, and that God has as much ordained His people's prayers as anything else, and when we pray we are producing links in the chain of ordained facts.

Destiny decrees that I should pray—I pray; destiny decrees that I shall be answered, and the answer comes to me.~*

This is my faith, and it is rooted in the repeated testimony of God in Scripture that he governs all things in the world—from the dominion of kings in Saudi Arabia to the roll of the dice in Las Vegas.

Proverbs 16:33 says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD."

And Daniel 2:21 says, "He removes kings and establishes kings."

So from the dominion of kings to the roll of the dice, God governs the universe by his wisdom and power—including the prayers of his people.

Our kneeling to pray is no less God's gracious work than the regenerating of our souls: he writes his will on our hearts (As Hebrews 8:10 says: /“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds so they will understand them, and I will write them on their hearts so they will obey them.

I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

/) and works in us what is pleasing in his sight (Hebrews 13:21 says: /“may he equip you with all you need for doing His will.

May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ every good thing that is pleasing to Him.

All glory to Him forever and ever!

Amen.”/), and we do it—we pray—freely from our own wills.

Why Aren't my Prayers Answered?

Remember those two problems with prayer, I mentioned earlier – God is in control, why pray?

– and I never get the answer I want anyway.

Well, let’s look at that one.

I pray and pray and pray for the salvation of a family member, friend, or neighbor, but, though I ask a thousand times, I get no answer or why don’t I get the answer I long for.

The Bible has several possible answers:

It says I may not be praying according to God's will; 1 John 5:14, /"If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."/

Or it could be I have cherished sin that we will not let go from our lives; Psalm 66:18, /"If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear."/

It could be that I have man-centered and not God-centered motives; James 4:3, /"You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."/

Or it may be that I do not believe that God will do it; Mark 11:24, /"All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you."/

Or it could be that God wants me to persevere, and is testing my obedience to his command in Luke 18:1, /"At all times [you] ought to pray and not to lose heart."/

Or it might be that God is, in fact, doing far more every time you pray than you can imagine and is daily putting in place a part of the mosaic that will in good time be the full answer to your prayer (as in Daniel 10:2,12).

"Praying for All His Purposes, Meditating on All His Word"

Or could it be that there is a dynamic to prayer that I have not yet learned?

Could it be that this matter of praying is so mysterious and so wonderful that there is a deeper, fuller way of relating to God in prayer that I have not yet experienced?

Could it be that I am like a child who has been told something by my Father, but I just don't get it yet?

And in his wisdom and patience he goes on loving me and teaching me.

Could it be that 2006 would be the year when I finally get it?

I would love to think so!

We started 2006 with a series of messages on prayer – eight weeks of learning more about prayer.

What did I learn?

What did you learn?

Here is one of my goals for 2006 for us.

It is /that we as a church discover corporately how the Word of God and prayer work together in powerful, life-changing, fruit-bearing ministry./

For I firmly believe that if we do not learn to be powerful prayers abiding in Christ’s Word and being fruitful, my purpose here will be futile.

I pray that we would  join God the Father in magnifying the supremacy of God’s glory \\ through our Lord Jesus Christ, \\ in the power of the Holy Spirit by \\ treasuring all that God is, \\ loving all whom God loves, \\ /praying for all God’s purposes,/ \\ /meditating on all God’s Word,/ \\ sustained by all God’s grace.

Let me repeat what I just said:                                                  I pray that we would  join God the Father in magnifying the supremacy of God’s glory \\ through our Lord Jesus Christ, \\ in the power of the Holy Spirit by \\ treasuring all that God is, \\ loving all whom God loves, \\ /praying for all God’s purposes,/ \\ /meditating on all God’s Word,/ \\ sustained by all God’s grace.

My prayer is that in 2006 we will learn from study and experience how - /praying for all his purposes and meditating on all his Word and working together for our good and the good of God’s kingdom here in Millet./.

What's the connection?