Remaining in Jesus by Pastor Dave

 
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.”
John 15: 7
 
John 15: 1-17
 
     I shared from this Gospel passage on Friday but feel compelled to return to it again to ask one of the obvious questions that arises from it, “How do we remain in Jesus?” Being in Christ is crucial to our faith and lives because it is where our identity and purpose lie, it is what we were created for; so how do we remain in Him? There are five teachings from Jesus in passage that guide and help us:
 

1. His Holy Spirit; being joined to Jesus by our faith through God’s Grace brings the Holy Spirit into our lives physically and spiritually (vs. 4-5 & 1 Corinthians 3: 16). We need to learn to live by the Spirit, be led by the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5). Jesus lives in us we need to learn to remain in Him. One way we do this is by:
2. His Words; remaining in us (vs. 7). Jesus Words are God’s Words, the Bible. He is Truth and His Truth is in His Word. This Word needs to remain in us by our study, learning and understanding of it. The Holy Spirit in us enables and helps us in this study. The Word transforms our minds, thinking and actions thus helping us to remain in Him. This helps us in:
3. Obedience; (vs. 10, 14). Knowing God’s will through His Spirit and Word helps us then to obey Him which helps us remain in Him, this is wrapped up in His:
4. Love; (vs. 9). God loves Christ and us, Christ loves God and us, so much so that He gave His life to save us (John 3: 16, 15: 13). Love is at the heart of everything, God is love and Jesus exemplifies that love through His self-sacrifice. If we know and receive this love we remain in Him, obey Him and then:
5. Love others; (vs. 12, 17). In loving others we obey God’s command, becoming conduits for His love and remain in Him. God commands us to love our neighbours (Matthew 22: 37-39) but in this passage He is talking to His Disciples, His Church. Remaining in His Body, the Church, is crucial to remaining in Him (I’ll probably share further on this aspect on Friday).

 
     There are many wonderful blessings to remaining in Jesus, such as eternal life, here are just three from this passage. Firstly we are given assurance that God hears and answers our prayers (vs. 7, 16b), secondly we will know real joy (vs. 11) and thirdly as His friends (wow!) we will produce fruit to God’s glory, a purpose filled life (vs. 8, 14, 16a).
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To Ponder: How well do you know Jesus? Pray through these five steps and see where He takes you!
 
To Pray: Father help us to grasp the deep love you have for us then in wonder help us to know you more. Enable us through the power of your Holy Spirit within us to love you, to study your Word and then to obey your command to love. May you guide us in prayer, fill us with joy and help us produce fruit to your glory. Amen
 
Praise: Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus
Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPXapfFfesA