16. Abide, Part 2

In this episode we wrap up the brief series on abiding in Christ.

Summary of part 1:
What are we commanded to do in John 15? We are commanded to abide in Christ.
What are the results of abiding in Christ? Bearing fruit (vv. 4-5), answered prayer (v. 7), overabundant joy (v. 11), and intimacy with the Lord (v. 10).
How do we abide in Christ? By meditating upon His Word (v.7), and by obedience (v. 10).

Key takeaways from part 2:
If we are not obeying, then we are not abiding.
Obedience leads to intimacy. If we want our relationship with Jesus to be vibrant and living, then we need to be obeying Him.
This leads to the need of consistent and immediate repentance of any known sin in our lives.
Generally speaking, as believers we often take the sin in our lives far too lightly.

Quotes that I used in this week and last:
"It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and He is the answer to every need." - Watchman Nee
"God is not seeking a display of my Christ-likeness, but a manifestation of His Christ." - Watchman Nee
"You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You." - Augustine
"When you ignore God's instructions, do not expect to receive His blessing." - One of the pastors from my church
"Do not wait for the hour of evening prayer, nor even for the opportunity of being alone, but in the busy street, in the midst of daily toil, lift up your heart to Christ if you have done wrong, and say: 'I have gone astray...'" - F. B. Meyer
"It is not the nature of sin to remain in a fixed state. Like decaying fruit, it grows more rotten. The man who is bad today will be worse tomorrow." - Charles Spurgeon

**CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS**
I said, "Jesus, knowing that all things had been placed under their feet, got down and washed theirs." I meant to say, "Jesus, knowing that all things had been placed under HIS feet, got down and washed theirs."
When I quoted John 20:31 I slightly changed some of the verbiage unintentionally. It doesn't affect the meaning of the text at all, but I wanted to post the verse here: "...but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
I was speaking about God's response to Job's friends. I wanted to post the verse that I was referring to here so that the wording will be exactly right: "After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: 'My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has'" (Job 42:7).
I said I was reading 2 Cor 7:10. It was actually 2 Cor 7:1 that I was reading.
While reading 2 Tim 2:22 I accidentally switched the order of the words "faith" and "love". This doesn't have any impact on the meaning of the text, but I still wanted to clarify.
I accidentally said that we're saved "by faith through grace" when I meant "by grace through faith." I was quoting Ephesians 2:8.

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