5/17/26 -Abiding

Recap: The Vision of God

From the rising of the sun

to the setting of the same

among all people

and in all places

The Lords name

will be made great

The Four Fields

Mark 4:26–29 CSB

26 “The kingdom of God is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. 28 The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head. 29 As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Here’s what it looked like.

The first field is empty

This is known as Entry

entry into a new and empty field

The second field is where the seeds are sown

Evangelism

The third field is where the soil produces the crop

Discipleship

The fourth field is where the crops are ready for harvest

The crops are gathered together

this is the church

The center is where the leaders begin to rise up from the churches

This is church formation and leadership development

Six S’s

What are the things which we see that are necessary for Kingdom Growth

Sower - A laborer in God’s Kingdom

every believer in Jesus Christ

Seed - the gospel

Romans 1:16 CSB

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

The gospel has the power of life

Soil - the hearts of men

Season - it takes time to make disciples

just as it takes time for crops to grow

Spirit - God is the one causing the growth

preparing people’s hearts

granting the grace of repentance

giving them the heart t o believe

saving them and giving them new birth in Jesus Christ

Sickle - gathering the harvest of new believers together into new churches

just as the harvest is bundled in the field

New believers need community with other believers

We can see examples of entry, gospel, discipleship, church, and leadership development

The work was to share the gospel

and raise leaders for new churches.

We see that abiding is a controllable factor.

we see that the disciples persevered through persecution.

This is how the four fields work.

to make it easy to remember and repeatable,

I mentioned in last Sunday morning’s sermon the acronym MAWL

Model

Assist

Watch

Leave

So tonight we are going to put that into action.

Let’s try to repeat it to each other - modeling and assisting

either using the four fields or the six S’s

One of you teach it to the other

And the then switch and teach it back to the first.

Abiding - John 15

As I read John 15:1-11, fill in the chart on the back of your paper.

What is the result of abiding?

What is result of not abiding?

John 15:1–11 CSB

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, 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 produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

What is the result of abiding?

Pruning to produce more fruit (2)

Produces much fruit (5)

Ask and it will be done for you (7)

Prove to be my disciples (8)

Remain in God’s love (10)

Joy will be in you and will be complete (11)

What is result of NOT abiding?

Removed from the vine (2)

Does not produce fruit (4)

Thrown aside like a branch and withers, thrown into the fire and burned (6)

Conclusion: Abiding is important not only yo your life as a believer

but also to the work of advancing God’s Kingdom

There are results and consequences of abiding and not abiding in Jesus

Apart from God we can do nothing.

5 Parts of Abiding

Knowing God’s Word - John 15:7

John 15:7 CSB

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

Draw a big heart to represent the heart of God

We need Jesus’ words to be in us.

We can put God’s Word in our heart by

listening, reading, meditating upon, and memorizing scripture.

The symbol for God’s Word is the Bible.

Prayer: John 15:7

John 15:7 CSB

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

If we know God’s Word

We can pray according to His will.

We cannot force God to act,

But we can trust His promise that He wants to move according to His Word.

Prayer is both spending time talking to God (up arrow)

And listening to God (down arrow in the heart)

Rest in His Love: John 15:9

John 15:9 CSB

“As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.

We must remain in the Father’s love.

It is by faith in Jesus that we are saved.

We do not need to earn His love.

We need to trust what God has done for us.

Jesus tells us that just as the Father has loved Him

He has loved us.

The symbol for remaining in His love is the heart.

Obey His Commands: John 15:10

John 15:10 CSB

If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

To obey Jesus from our hearts

we must FIRST believe in His love

And then we obey His commands.

Our obedience does not earn our salvation;

Through faith in Him we are given the Holy Spirit

And are adopted into His family.

When we rest in His love,

Our hearts are transformed,

And we desire to obey His commandments.

The symbol for obeying His commandments

Is the arrow coming from Resting in His love.

Confess Sin / Walk in the Light: 1 John 1:5-9

1 John 1:5–9 CSB

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We walk in the light by confessing sin.

By confessing sin,

We are bringing sin into the light

And being cleansed from unrighteousness.

We must daily repent of our sin

And confess our need for a savior.

The symbol for confessing sin is the sun.

Draw out the full picture of Abiding.