Abiding In Christ

Raul Ries: The only way you can make it to heaven, the only way you can survive is to be connected to the vine. That's where there's life. Apart from the vine, there is no life. In the moment a person leaves Jesus Christ, he's what? He's leaving the vine. He's cut off from the vine. You have to be connected. And the way to be connected is to be in fellowship with God.
Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. We're glad to have you with us today as Raul continues our series exploring how to live a life of deep devotion to the Lord. Contemplating Jesus' call to abide with him in true communion, you'll be challenged to spend regular time in the Bible and in prayer. Stay with us to see that when you daily pursue more with God, he'll fill your life with fruitful purpose. Today's study is Abiding in Christ. Here's Raul Ries.
Raul Ries: If you have your Bibles, turn with me to John chapter 15. John chapter 15. Incredible chapter. In chapter 14 at the end of the verse 31, Jesus said, arise and let us go from here. At that particular moment, Jesus comes down from the upper room and they go out to the Kidron Valley and they're going out over to the other side of the Kidron Valley and they're going to go to the Olive Press. That is the place where Jesus will spend time in prayer with the Father. And this will be the place where Judas Iscariot will come and will betray the Lord. But before he does that, Jesus in chapter 15 will speak to us about the doctrine of abiding. Abiding in Jesus Christ. Now these pictures that we hear in the Gospel of John concerning branches and friends reveal to us privileges and responsibilities that we have as believers in Jesus Christ. So now Jesus begins in chapter 15 beginning with verse 1 and says, I am the true vine. And my Father is the vine dresser. Notice that. And of course, when we talk about the vine in the Old Testament, the vine is always in reference to who? To the nation of Israel. Whenever you talk about the vine in the Old Testament, and that was actually the symbol they used at the door of the temple of the vine representing the nation of Israel. And then again, look what he says, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it that it may bear more fruit. Now what Jesus is going to do here, he's going to be talking about our relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior. He's talking about a vine and the branches that go out through the vine. And he says there are some branches that actually are pruned so they can bring more fruit, but then other branches dry up and they're cut off and they're cast into the fire. Now here in chapter 15 verse 2, the cutting off of the actual branches here is speaking of those people that are not walking in fellowship with the Lord. Notice what he's saying. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Notice that. Does not bear fruit. He takes away. But every branch that bears fruit, he prunes or he prunes, notice that it may bear more fruit. Now I don't know anything about trees, okay? But I know one thing that whenever you trim a tree and you cut it back and you do it right, it's going to do what? It's going to bring forth more fruit. Notice what he's saying here. Because in verse 3, look what he's going to say. You already are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. You notice that the cleansing power comes through the teaching of the word of God that keeps us away from sin. The word of God cleanses us, washes us. Our minds, our hearts, our lives. That's why it's important for people to come and to sit and to hear the word of God and the teaching of the word of God. Why? Because the word of God endures and abides forever. But there are churches that will actually do topical studies and they'll have a lot of emotionalism, experience. They do a lot of healing, they do a lot of singing, a lot of worship, but there's no expository teaching. You can talk to some of those people which I've talked to and a lot of them they're not really grounded in the word of God, rooted and grounded in the word of God. They think they're very spiritual people, but when it comes to the things of God, they don't know the word of God. And there's a danger with that. So what does the word of God do? It cleanses us. It makes us rooted and grounded in God's love, in God's grace, in God's mercy. But then look again in verse 4 what he says, Abide in me and I in you. The word abide means to dwell, to stay in the Greek. He says, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. You see, when you're in a vine, you can't be on your own. You can do your own thing. You're either with the vine, you're part of the branches with the vine, or you're going to be cast off. You're going to be cut. Because then you have no source of life. You see? Jesus Christ is the vine. We are the branches. And there are two set of branches, those that are bringing forth fruit and those that are going to be cut off. Why? Because they are not bearing fruit in their lives. Look what else he says. Abide in me and I in you as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. Notice that the only way to be fruitful is through through Jesus Christ. No other way. No other possible way to become fruitful unless we are in Jesus Christ. You see, fruit comes through the relationship that I have personally with Jesus Christ. And that's through prayer, through the teaching of the word of God, through my daily devotions with God, spending time in the word of God. And then fellowshipping with other people that are Christians. That makes me not only accountable and responsible, but it makes me grow in the things of God. Why? Because I'm going to be with people that love the God that I love. And we're going to be talking about the same things. We're going to connect. But if you hang out with people that don't like to talk about God, then what do you have in common with them? Nothing. You see? You'll become like them. That's why it's really important to stay connected to the vine and to those branches that are bearing fruit and are being purged. Then he says in verse 5, I am the vine. You are the branches. See? He makes He clarifies it. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me, underline this, you can do nothing. Let's settle that tonight. Apart from Jesus Christ, you and I can do nothing. So we might as well stop doing it. Let's settle one thing in our minds and hearts tonight. We know for a fact that apart from Jesus Christ, I can do nothing. Nothing. I don't care what I try to do. That's because Jesus is the truth and the truth is abiding in Jesus Christ. You see? When we're abiding in him, I believe I'm eternally secure. That's right. I believe I'm eternally secure as long as I abide in Jesus Christ, period. Pastor Chuck Lemmie quoted him. He said, I am eternally secure as long as I abide in Jesus Christ. Spurgeon said this, I am glad God chose me before the foundation of the world because after I was born, he would have never chosen me. And that is so true. That is so true. Why? Because we're sinners saved by the grace of God. And what I try to do is I try to abide in Jesus Christ and I'm going to share with you how you abide. You abide by being obedient to the word of God. He's going to tell you that. But first of all, he wants us to understand that we cannot do anything apart from Jesus Christ. Verse 6, if anyone does not abide in me. So we don't want to change the word of God. We want to stick with the word of God. This is Jesus speaking. If anyone does not abide in me. What happens to that person? He is cast out as a branch that is withered. You see? Eternal security. You have to come to your own conclusions. I know that I am eternally secure as long as I am abiding in Jesus Christ. And how do I abide? I abide daily with Jesus Christ. My relationship with Jesus Christ is not weekly, monthly, or yearly. It is daily with Christ. Daily. It's a daily relationship. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and he's withered and they gather them and they throw them into the fire and they are burned. What do you think he's talking about? He's talking about the fire of hell. A person that is not abiding, is not fruitful, he's a cast off. He's thrown out. The only way you can make it to heaven, the only way you can survive is to be connected to the vine. You see? Connected to the vine. That's where there's life. Apart from the vine, there is no life. In the moment a person leaves Jesus Christ, he's what? He's leaving the vine. He's cut off from the vine. You have to be connected. And the way to be connected is to be in fellowship with God. To be conscious of your sin, to repent, to have your daily walk with Jesus Christ because here Jesus is making a pretty incredible proclamation. The nation of Israel did not bring forth fruit. What happened to them? They were cut off. They're an example of it.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. We'd like to take a brief timeout to remind you that we are here to support you in your personal journey with the Lord and we invite you to visit somebodylovesyou.com for a wealth of resources. If you have Bible questions that you'd like to share with Raul, you can email him at [email protected]. Now back to more with Raul Ries.
Raul Ries: Is it possible for a man not to abide in Jesus Christ? Yes. Yes, it's possible for someone not to abide in Jesus Christ. I am not God, so I can't say anything else, but I can tell you what the word of God He says you either abide in me or you don't abide in me. There's only light or darkness. There's no middle ground here. You see? No middle ground here. A person that is in the church and says they have accepted Christ and they're fornicators and adulterers and liars and cheaters and their druggies and alcoholics and they're still doing what they did in the world, I would have to say to you, you are very deceived in your walk with Christ because God is a holy God. And those that want to walk with God have to be holy even as he is holy. That's what the Bible teaches. Jesus is teaching that here tonight, the doctrine of abiding. Abiding, dwelling, staying in him. And then he's going to talk about the conditions in the moment, verse 7. He says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you. Now notice what he says here. The promise of obedience. If I am doing what God says, if I am staying, dwelling in Jesus and my word abides in you. Notice what he's saying here. Then you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you, praying according to the will of God. He says, by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit so you will be what? My disciples. Who's the disciples? those there are bearing much fruit. You see? If a person's not bearing fruit, he's not a disciple. That's just plain words. You're not a disciple of Christ if you are not bearing what? Fruit. What does he say here verse 8? By this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit so you will be my disciples. How? A life of obedience through the word of God. You see? Through the word of God I become fruitful to Jesus Christ. That's how I live my life. Verse 9, as the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. 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. What does he do? He says, you want to get to heaven, look at me and look what I do for the Father. I and the Father are one and I want you to be one with me. The commandments, the 10 commandments? No. Two commandments. Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. Two commandments that he's talking about. Verse 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. These things I have spoken unto you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is the first time in the Gospels that he uses the word joy. Why? He doesn't use happiness. Why? Happiness is only a temporal thing. It's an emotional thing. But joy is the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. It brings character, it brings attitude, endurance. You see? And what's so cool about that is that we notice that this attitude comes as we not only look at Jesus Christ because this was the attitude that Jesus Christ had when he had to go to the cross. Why? Because he denied himself. He denied himself to go to the cross. So if I want to really be keeping God's commandments, loving God, loving my neighbors, myself, I have to learn to deny myself, to crucify myself, to become nothing for Christ. And then he will exalt me. He will lift me up. He will do whatever he wants in my life. And this joy that he gives to us, it is the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, something that is lasting is not just once in a while, but it's something steady on course that your joy may be full. Then look at verse 12. Now he's going to talk about friendships and obedience. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Notice what we're commanded to do. That's a hard one. To love one another. Think of how many people in the body of Christ, friends, and loved ones that don't love each other. And yet they call themselves Christians. There's loved ones, there's relatives that hate other relatives and they're in the church. Imagine that. It's so sad. Or somebody here in the church hurt you and now you're mad at them and now you hate them. Oh, how can you call yourself a Christian if you have hate in your heart? You can't. The commandment is to love one another. The commandment is to love one another even as Christ loved. You see? The world and giving himself for it. Look at verse 13. Greater love has no one than this that the notice to lay down one's life for his friends. He says, if you love somebody, what are you going to do? You're going to sacrifice your life for them. That's what Jesus did. When I was in Vietnam, we all not only made a pact together, but they were friends of mine that sacrificed their life for us. In war, you do that. How much more now that we are in God's theme and we are Christians? How can we say that we love God in 1 John and then say we love God which God we've never seen, but yet my brother's right in front of me. And how can I hate him when I haven't even seen God and say I love God when I hate my brother? It's contradictory. We need to love one another. If I love God, I have to love my brother and my sister, and my enemy. And that's hard to do, but you have to do it. Greater love had no one than this than he laid down once life for his friends. You are my friends if here's the condition, if you do whatever I command you. And what's his command? To love. That's the command. To love. You want to be Jesus's friend? You got to love or you can't be his friend. You got to love your enemies. You got to love one another. Then this is what he says, you are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, slaves, dulois. Watch, for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I call you now friends for all things that I have heard from my father, I have main known to you. Notice that. What a great privilege it is to become the friend of God like Abraham was God's friend. Imagine that. That you and I tonight can become the friend of God as we get close to the heart of God by submitting our lives, by repenting, by denying ourselves and by being upright and having integrity among ourselves, being honest in your confession, honest in your repentance, honest in your relationships, honest with your relationship with God. Then God can really help you. But if you're a hypocrite or a phony, then you cannot be the friend of God. You will be like Judas among the 12. You'll end up betraying the Lord. He was a phony. He's a hypocrite. He ate, he slept, he walked, he did the whole thing with him, and yet he was not one of them. He was a betrayer because he didn't have love. Jesus never called him friend, but he called his disciples friends. And if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, you and I must love people. We must love them. Look what else he says. Verse 15. No longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I call you friends for all things that I've heard my father I have made known known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain and whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This is one of the hardest scriptures in the whole Bible. Divine election. No one can understand this fully to its full sense, not even the Calvinists. No one can. This is something that in eternity we're going to get to know. So what we're talking about here is that you did not choose him. Hey, I thank God that I didn't choose him. I thank God that he chose me. You see in the sovereignty of God? I believe in the sovereignty of God. I believe in divine election too. But at the same time, I believe that we have the will and we can choose or we can reject the Lord Jesus Christ. You see? That's what makes me a free moral agent. I'm not a puppet. You see? And so I thank God that not only people were praying for me and everything that I went through my life that when God was ready to choose me, which was from the foundations of the world, but he knew exactly the time when I would come to know him that he chose me at the age of 24 years old and I committed my life to him completely. I wish I would have been younger, but that's when God chose to choose me. And now here you are. When God chose you, he appointed you that you should go now and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain. And then if your fruit remains, what happens? That whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you again, praying according to the will of God. I like praying like that because he says these things I command you. Again, look how he ends it, that you love one another, that you love one another. Hey, God does not exclude anybody. Anybody can come to Jesus Christ. He says, what about God what about if God didn't elect me? Well, that's between you and God. Everybody has an opportunity to come to know Jesus Christ and you have to make the choice whether you're young or old, doesn't matter. God is not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance. That's what the Bible teaches.
Guest (Male): If the Lord has spoken to you through Raul's message today about your need for forgiveness of sins, we encourage you to call out to him today with all of your heart, placing your faith in Jesus as your only hope for salvation. You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. That's all the time we have for today's message, but if you'd like to get the entire study, we'll be happy to send a copy to you for a donation of $5 or more. Just call us at 800-634-9165 and ask for Raul's message titled Abiding in Christ. We'd also like to tell you about Raul's 10-part series called Chosen and Committed. It's available on either CD or flash drive, establishing the greatness of God's unconditional saving love. This resource will inspire you to nurture a healthy spiritual life and devote yourself to the Lord's will. You'll find that when you set aside your own personal agendas to follow God, he will bless you with eternal purpose and the vast riches of his grace. Visit somebodylovesyou.com ring or call 800-634-9165 to order Raul's 10-message study called Chosen and Committed. We'll send you the CD set for $22 or the thumb drive for just 13. That's 800-634-9165 or write to Somebody Loves You Radio, PO Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765. Be sure to check out the Somebody Loves You Worldwide YouTube channel. It's home of Raul's Straight Talk program streaming Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. West Coast time. This channel also features podcasts of all of these programs or you can look for them on iTunes and Spotify. We appreciate each of our faithful partners. Every tax deductible gift helps us keep sharing the good news of the Lord Jesus. And tune in again next time as we continue learning how to honor the Lord with a deeply committed undivided heart. We'll see that even in our imperfection, we can point others to God's perfect unconditional love.
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