Treasures New and Old
Treasures New and OldOn Being a Disciple – Our Abiding
“As a disciple, I want to master the Bible so that the Master of the Bible can become my Master.”
– Author unknown
As we continue this series of study, I wanted to dig a little deeper into what being a disciple entails and requires. Notice that most of my quotes are direct quotes from the Master Himself! This month, I wish to emphasize a central key principle to being a disciple of Christ – abiding in Him!
“Abide in Me”
John 15:1-11 (bold added):
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 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. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
But first – what are disciples to do? Obey the Master. For us, that means to keep His commandments as they are presented to us. So let’s also look at John 14:12-17 briefly:
John 14:12-17 (bold added):
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but he know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Love: Agapao (Strong’s G25): selfless, sacrificing love that does not seek its own, but that of the one who is the object of that love.
Commandments: Entolas (Gilbrant, The Complete Biblical Library Interlinear Bible, John 14:15): the precepts, teachings, commands, law, principles, doctrines and duties (partly taken from Strong’s G1785).
Keep: Tersate (Gilbrant, The Complete Biblical Library Interlinear Bible, John 14:15): “you will keep”; to guard, obey, keep an eye on, learn and understand, watch, to observe intently, be vigilant, regarding, etc. (partly taken from Strong’s G5083). It is a 2nd person plural verb that is future active indicative. Indicative mood in Greek is a command, expected to be obeyed or carried out. But notice, you are to obey the command to guard, observe, value, learn understand, watch, etc. Obedience will come naturally as we do these things.
What is the greatest commandment?
Mark 12:28-31 (bold added): “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
“Abide in me and I in you” (John 15:4):
John 15:4: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
Definition:
Abide: Greek: meno: to dwell, stay, remain, live, continue, endure, tarry, stand (Strong’s G3306). To choose to stay and make your home a certain place. When used as Christ used it, it means to make your life attached to Him permanently.
Abide: Hebrew: lun, liyn: to dwell, stay remain, live, continue, endure, tarry, stand (Strong’s H3885). To choose to stay and make your home a certain place. When used as Christ used it, it means to make your life attached to His permanently.
Additional Abide Verses:
Psalm 91:1: “He that dwelleth [yashab (Strong’s H3427)] in the secret place of the most High shall abide [lun] under the shadow of the Almighty.”
1 Corinthians 7:24: “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.”
1 John 2:24: “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”
John 14:16: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;“
1 John 2:27: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
1 John 2:28: “And now, little children, abide in him, that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”
Points to ponder:
1) Per 1 John 2:28 – if we abide in Him, we will not be ashamed when He returns. Why? Because to abide means to have close fellowship with Him, to keep short accounts, to listen and hear Him, and to walk with Him -therefore no surprises.
2) Per John 14:16 and 1 John 2:27 – we have an anointing to help us, even the Holy Spirit who abides within us. And since He does, it is important that we do not grieve Him. How can I grieve Him? Unrepentant sin. Habits we love more than God that He has told us to drop.
3) Per 1 John 2:24 – that which we received from the beginning is to abide in us. What is that? The gospel, the truth, the new life we now have in Christ, the basic teachings that got us started down the path if discipleship. As that remains in us, the task of abiding continuously in Him is so much easier.
4) Per Psalm 91:1 – dwelling in His secret place (prayer closet, meditation, true worship) ensures that we abide under His shadow (His shade, His hiding place, and His rest).
5) Per John 15:3 – we are made clean through His Word as we abide with Him – the “washing of water by the Word.” We have constant cleansing as we live in His presence.
6) Per John 15:7 – if we allow Him to abide in us and let His words permeate us, we will have a dynamic prayer life. Imagine knowing His will as we lift folks up in intercessory prayer. Imagine being so in tune with Him because His words live in you that you know the verses to pray as each situation in need of prayer presents itself.
7) Per John 15:11 – abiding in Him brings an increase of joy! What He has taught us, the admonition to abide in Him, to continue in Him, to hear Him, to spend time with Him, etc., so that we, like John the Baptist, learn that “[w]e must decrease, and He must increase” (John 3:30).
8) Per John 15:10 – as we keep His commandments, as He kept His Father’s commandments, we will enjoy a dwelling place filled with His love. Abiding in Him ensures that we are surrounded in His love as He is filled with His Father’s love.
Abiding is not easy:
Reread John 15:1-11
l. We are in a vine-branch connection – truly graphed into the vine. (John 15:2 & 6) If we do not bear fruit, we will be cut from the vine and burned. This would appear to point to those who may have been graphed into the vine but never really took hold of the vine and never actually began to draw sustenance from it. It could be a person who looks good but has never actually accepted Christ as their Savior. They may have said the words, may have joined the church, but really are not saved. No fruit. As James would say, should me the works!
ll. We are in a vine-branch cleansing relationship. (John 15:2) As we bear fruit, the husbandmen will prune us so that we can bear more (excellent, greater) fruit. Usually that requires getting the wasted leafy twigs cut off the branches so that the fruit gets more water and nourishment from the vine. It can hurt, but they are usually the wasted things, events, activities in our lives that, after retrospection, we realize were time wasters and compromisers.
lll. We are in a vine-branch purging relationship. As we bear fruit and get purged of wasted leafy twigs, the Husbandman may decide to really get us ready to bear much fruit. This is a really painful but needful process. When a vine begins to bear more fruit, it extends itself until it can no longer bear that fruit without breaking. So the Husbandman goes further back in the branch until he sees a strong thick section and cuts off the rest of the branch. This is kin to a person going through the fire or a serious trial designed to strengthen and prepare him/her for even greater works. This kind of pruning doesn’t happen every year, sometimes not even every five years. But when that branch begins to bear fruit again, it will be much thicker, stronger and able to bear much fruit.
And that brings us back to:
2 Peter 1:10: “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”
May God bless you all!
Bro. Joe
Gilbrant, T. The Complete Biblical Library Interlinear Bible. World Library Press. (2020). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software]. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1990)
Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)