Abiding in Christ Jesus.

Part Five

 

By Nick Bibile

 

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

 

Verse 7 says, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

 

There are some churches that teach here it is, it says in the Bible as Christians we are to ask whatever we wish and God will give it to us. They also say that many Christians are suppose to be rich in wealth not poor as God had told in his word that he will give whatever we ask. According to them if you are poor and trying to make from paycheck to paycheck may be you do not have much faith in God.

 

This teaching is utterly false and does not bear any truth at all. This teaching pleases the flesh and not the spirit. We as Christians cannot demand God you have to give what I ask, if you speak to your boss like that you will get fired, but God is the Almost High God the Creator of the universe and we are just the dust of this earth.

 

Now let us take the scripture, first thing is to abide in Christ that is to have a union, a love relationship with the Lord. Next says that his words abide in us, this is not a superficial love relationship but a genuine one that we obey his words, as his word becomes part of our life. Then we can ask whatever we wish and he will give it to us. Now let me ask you something. When you are in Christ and his words in you, you are led by the Spirit.

 

Ro 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

When you are led by the Spirit we cry to God by the Spirit and whatever that we ask is spiritual things and not fleshly things to gratify our flesh. If I ask God, give me a Rolls Royce, an airplane, a mansion, a boat and 15 million dollars a month, that is whatever I wish for the flesh that is evil temptation and it did not come from my spirit but from the flesh. It is Satan, the prince of this world who desires to give fleshly things if we obey him.

 

Lu 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, all this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

 

Jesus said the following:

 

Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

Jesus said:

 

Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

Kingdom of God is spiritual that is priority and all the other things are our fleshly needs, God will provide according to his will.

 

1Jo 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

 

We covered verse 8 last week we glorify God by bearing fruits.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 

9       As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

 

This is the sacred love between Christ and the Father. There are three people in this scripture, the Father, Christ and us. We need to take this scripture from a mediator perspective. We will not know what is sacred/holy love if not for our mediator Christ Jesus who came from the bosom of the Father and revealed to us the will of the Father. God so loved the world that he sent his Son for us. From the mediator perspective the Father loved Christ, as he was obedient to the Father.

 

Mt 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

Mt 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

 

The Son came to do the will of the Father, to bring salvation, to reveal the will of God, to reconcile us back to God. You can see the love of Christ to us in his state of humiliation. (Philip 2:7-8) There was the active obedience of Christ in his whole life to God; he fulfilled all of the law where we have violated. Then there was the passive obedience of Christ as he cheerfully endured all suffering, sacrificed his life to the believing sinner. He appeased the anger of God.

 

Propitiation is appeasing the anger/wrath of God. Gods wrath was upon us due to our sinful nature but Christ appeased, pacified the wrath of God his vicarious sacrifice on the cross. The word vicarious means Christ taking the place of the sinner and their guilt was imputed and their punishment was transferred to Christ.

 

Christ reconciled us to God. Friends do not need reconciliation only enemies need to be reconciled. We are at enmity with God (Rom 8:7) there was hatred between God and us due to sin. Christ came as a mediator in between God and man (1 Tim 2:5) and reconciled us back to the Father now we can cry out to God by saying, abba Father. Oh what manner of love is this?

 

Ro 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

 

Lets go to next verse in John 15.

10   If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

 

Love here is not romance but love is affection, devotion and believe, there is obedience in love, just like Christ was obedient to the Father and the Father was well pleased, loved him for his affection, devotion and obedience and in the same way if we truly love Christ then we need to obey his words, his commandments. If you say you love Jesus and totally living a contrary lifestyle that is not obedience.

 

This love relationship is built not on our sacrifices to God but through obedience to Gods word we have a love relationship with Christ.

 

1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

 

It is easy for many Christians to get caught up in works to Christ but have no true love relationship with God. It is not doing all the programs to God and all the service of the ministry or your hard work in the ministry; these are only the results of our obedience to God due to our love relationship with him.

 

Re 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

2 I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

 

Now when there is a true love relationship in obedience to God there is a joy unspeakable.

 

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

 

This is the crux of the sermon as Jesus said all these things that he has spoken to us that we should have his joy in us, and he said this joy might be full it means complete, we do not need other joy, the worldly joy as this joy is the true complete joy for all occasions. The worldly joy is only when you are happy but not when you are going through severe hardships and trials. Christian joy is not only in church but all the time.

 

The world cannot rejoice when they go through hard times but when Christians are persecuted they will rejoice as Jesus said:

Mt 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Mt 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

 

We see apostle Paul put in a dungeon/jail for preaching the gospel. From a human perspective his entire ministry is cut off now, did Paul weep and question God and feel so down? No as God is in control. All things happen to the Christians by the providence of God. Listen to what Paul said:

 

Php 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

 

Again remember when Paul and Silas were beaten by rods for preaching the gospel and put in a dungeon what did they do?

 

Ac 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

 

Brothers and sisters this is the joy unspeakable full of glory we are talking about, it is joy that the world cannot give. Do you have that joy? Do you know why you dont have that joy? Do you like to have the true joy that you will be joyous all the time even in the times of great hardship? Then listen carefully.

 

There are some who come to the church and there is no joy of the Lord in them. No excitement, they look cold, unfriendly. There are some when in fellowship they get excited and full of joy when they speak of fleshly worldly things, politics and all other non-spiritual things. But when it comes to the joy of his word, being excited in Christ Jesus they freeze and become cold and there is absolutely no joy. Now I am going to show through scripture why is it that some does not have the joy of the Lord.

 

Many have no true joy of the Lord because they have fallen into the temptation of sins. They have substituted the true joy of the Lord to worldly joy. Their joy is their home, car, sports, Hollywood the beauty and the glory of the world, their joy is to have fellowship with unbelievers with worldly conversation and the pleasures of this life. They do not have joy to read and study the word, they do not have a joy to pray and have sweet communion with God, they do not have a joy in the fellowship of the believers and they have no joy in witnessing. They may have a religion but not a joyful relationship with the Lord.

 

Lu 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

 

There is great joy in salvation. Remember Zacchaeus who was a thief as he cheated many people by collecting more money, when he found salvation there was a joy as he said:

 

Lu 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

 

The Samaritan woman at the well when she knew that Jesus was the Messiah she was so excited that she went and told the whole village.

 

For us to understand joy first we need to understand the opposite of joy, which is sorrow. Only a person who is extreme sorrow will understand the joy of the Lord. Many have no joy of the Lord as they do not have the sorrow of repentance. True repentance is godly sorrow.

 

Repentance is the sinner covering his mouth and crying,
  "Unclean, unclean!"
Faith is the leper coming to Christ and saying,
  "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

 

Lu 7:37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

 

Lu 7:44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

 

We see the beautiful picture of the sinner weeping at the feet of Jesus of she realized she was sinful before God, violated the commandments of God, pouring out her soul to God of her sins, this is godly sorrow. She is crying kissing his feet wiping the tears with her hair and anointing with the most expensive perfume she had.

 

Godly sorrow brings a fountain of tears, it is not just repeating a prayer or saying a prayer saying God I am sorry and go your way as usual. She used her hair as a towel to wipe the tears and there was joy of tears in pouring out the most expensive perfume she had on Jesus. This is true repentance.

 

There are many when they sin they have no hurt of feelings toward God; they dont realize they have offended the Most High God. There are many who have no devotion to God in his word; prayer and they live a comfortable life with the joys of the world. They have no feelings that they are offending God daily, no sorrow of sins. If you love someone very dearly and you offended that person then you realize you have sinned against that person there is a deep hurt and you go to that person with full of sorrow in offending. This is called true repentance. Let us see another godly person who sinned against God and how he felt the heaviness of sin.

 

Ps 32:1 <<A Psalm of David, Maschil.>> Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

 

See in verse three when David sinned against God by committing adultery with Bath-sheba and kept silent without repenting what happened to him? He felt miserable even to his bones, he was groaning daily and felt the hand of God not as a comfort but extremely heavy, uncomfortable, cannot bear the heaviness of his sins against God.

 

Let me tell you it is very easy to sin but there is a lot of pain in repentance. When he acknowledged and confessed his sins to the Lord, God forgave the sins and see the joy of David at the beginning of the Psalm when he said:

 

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

 

David ends Psalm 32 with the following.

 

Ps 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

 

When you truly abide in Christ there is a joy in fellowship. Remember the story after the crucifixion there were two disciples walking to a village called Emmaus and they were very sorrowful of what happened to Jesus being crucified, Jesus himself came and walked along with them and the first question he asked them of their sadness.

 

Lu 24:17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

 

Jesus exposed the Old Testament from the beginning concerning to the Christ and expounded scriptures concerning himself that Christ will not only suffer but will be raised to glory. But when it came closer to the village, the two disciples said the following:

 

Lu 24:29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

 

Oh! There was sweet fellowship with Jesus as Jesus abided with them and they in Jesus when Jesus vanished from them this is what they said.

 

Lu 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

 

Do you know why some are so excited and zealous to speak of God? We do not see Jesus but we have the scriptures the Word of God, Jesus own word to give us that comfort and joy.

 

1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

 

There are many that work so diligently at work to get a pay check at the end of the week or month, if not for the pay check you will quit. If I say we need Christian workers as the laborers are few but the harvest is great, we will give you $50.00 per hour. This place will be packed and will have to find a huge building to accommodate the people who will be coming to work for $50.00. But if we say we need diligent workers but no pay it is voluntary work for the Lord. Many will say for $50.00 I will be joyful but for the Lord without pay I will rather watch T.V. How sad, as people desire to profit the flesh and not spirit.

 

Mr 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

 

Remember when the children of God returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, joyfully they built the walls of Jerusalem and the temple. Their strength came from an inner joy from the Lord.

 

Ne 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

11   Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

 

Why did the people weep when they heard the words of the law? The law of God showed their sins, exposed their sins and there was godly sorrow, repentance that sorrow turned into joy.

 

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