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Main Idea
Abiding is a growing spiritual awareness and an intentional focus on Christ that is rooted in a growing relationship.
Years ago, when one of my kids was a toddler, I remember a morning we watched TV together. As Sam sat on my lap, I started talking to him, wanting to have a conversation. And, as you would guess, he was completely oblivious to what I was saying because he was entirely focused on the show. So, I decided to do a test. I wanted to see how long I could talk to him before he realized what was going on. It lasted for over 5 minutes and would have lasted longer had I not poked him in the ribs to get his attention. I told him what I was up to, and we both had a good laugh about it.
The reason I tell you this is to highlight an important aspect of our topic today. You see, even though Sam was in my lap (meaning he was close to me), he still didn’t receive what I was saying because he was focused on something else. And this is a key component of the discussion today.
So, let’s start here. When I say the word abide, what does it make you think of?
For most, you think about a dedicated prayer time, am I right? And the more time I spend in prayer, the more I abide because that is how I spend time with Jesus. If that’s true, then the monks got it right. Perhaps I should lock myself away from the world so I can pray, study, and therefore abide more fully. But what if there is more to it than that?
What if there was a way that we could abide even in our fast-paced world of busy schedules and constant distractions? And what if making one or two tweaks to your life meant you lived your life in a refreshing, joyful, and meaningful way? Do you want that?
I do. So, let’s dive right in.
Passages
John 15:1–10 ESV
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I 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.
John 15:16 ESV
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Outline
I – What is abiding?
II – Why should I abide?
III – How do I abide?
I – What is abiding?
It means you are a Christian
The Father – or Vinedresser – is cultivating His plant. On this plant, some branches bear fruit, and some do not. The ones that produce are cultivated, and the ones that do not are lopped off. This would indicate that all branches are professing believers… not all true believers, but ones who say they are Christian. But only the ones that bear fruit are Christians, and those are the ones who abide and are fruitful.
Verse one answers the question of what plant this is because Jesus is talking and says He is the true vine. So, this means that as branches, we are abiding in the vine or in Christ. Jesus is the vine in this metaphor. And this fits with other biblical metaphors. There is one body with many parts, and Jesus is the head. There is a building made of living stones with Jesus as the crucial, load-bearing cornerstone.
Because of the age we live in, we must start here. We must define what it means to be a Christian before we can understand the abiding concept. If being a Christian means that you know God exists and you’ll be in heaven with Him one day, and in the meantime, you will do your best to follow a handful of moral guidelines. As long as you believe he exists and you do your best not to upset Him, you’re good. Or how about this one – God is love, so as long as I show love, I am like God and pleasing to Him, so I’m good, right? No need to concern myself with learning and following a specific ethic, because He’ll forgive me. He’s love, right? So, I can really do anything, as long as it is in a loving way, and I’m in His good graces.
In both these scenarios, abiding is superfluous because your ‘right standing’ with God is about what you do. Either you follow a dry set of rules, or you let an ambiguous definition of love be the only rule. Both acknowledge God’s existence and heaven, but it is missing one key component: a relationship. You aren’t saved by a set of rules or an attribute. You are saved by a person. And, as in any relationship, it grows with…
Time spent
Abiding means there is time spent and the nature of that time, mainly the awareness and intentionality of that time spent with someone or in a particular place.
Reside – like Ps 91:1, where we abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Positionally, as long as I reside in the vine, I am always in the vine.
Remain/continue – the enduring status of abiding in Christ and he in us. Relationally, as long as I am near Him, He is near me.
Filling – filled with the Spirit, His Word, His power, and His love. There is an element of capacity.
Endure – both in terms of remaining and persevering.
This summarizes the nature of our relationship, which is both active and passive. The Father is the one who brought you into this plant, and He is the one who cultivates you. And you are in Christ, who is the vine. The vine holds and sustains the branch. The branch is also empowered by the Spirit, the life-giving sap from the vine. So, as you abide… please do so in the knowledge that you get to enter into a life-long fellowship of the entire Trinity at work in you.
But please also notice the conditional statements (the if and then statements). If you abide in me, then I will abide in you. If you abide in me and my words abide in you… ask, and you will receive. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. This suggests that God has given us responsibilities and that what He gives us is proportional to what we give Him. It’s as if there is an internal valve that we are responsible for turning so that more sap flows into us and opens just a degree or two at a time. Perhaps the definition fleshes out in two ways: how God cultivates and sustains me and my awareness of it.
So, let’s unpack that for a moment. If we play an active role in this whole ‘abiding’ concept, we should probably begin with the right motivations. Let the why fuel the how.
II – Why should I abide?
To love God deeper
1. To deepen your relationship with Him
1 John 4:13–17 ESV
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
2. To obey Him. If you want to be in good standing with law enforcement, you must be a law-abiding citizen. You need to know the laws, discern right from wrong, and act in a way to uphold the laws. Likewise, these verses instruct us to abide by His words, keep his commandments, and do the will of God. A key component of our love for God is how we obey God.
3. To imitate Him.
1 John 2:5–6 ESV
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Have you ever noticed how seasoned couples act like each other? They have the same facial expressions and mannerisms. It’s because they have spent a lifetime together.
For guidance
1. Abide in the Word. Jesus is the incarnate Word. The scriptures are breathed out by God. The word is truth and the only real objective standard. How will you know right from wrong if you don’t know God’s standards? How will you know what He is like? How will you discern the world’s morality from God’s morality?
2. For guidance by the Spirit. The Spirit’s job is to take the truths about Jesus and make them known to us. He is our teacher and constant companion.
1 John 2:23–27 ESV
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
This makes me think of how my kids get warm after a shower. Whenever they finish their shower and open the bathroom door, they have to step out into the hallway, where the temperature is much lower. So, they have a small heater set up in their room so that after they walk down the cold hallway, they can fire that baby up and sit in front of it. And they will sit there for hours if we let them, just absorbing the constant flow of heat it produces.
As you read the word to understand it by the guidance of the Spirit, you are like one of my kids abiding in the presence of the heater and absorbing the constant flow of truth that comes.
For a fruitful life
1. For spiritual life. If you don’t abide, you are a dead branch.
2. To be cultivated. To thrive, you must be pruned from unhealthy growth.
3. A meaningful life. A life that bears actual fruit. Lasting fruit for God’s Kingdom. Enduring fruit for others.
4. For a productive life. You must abide to receive what you pray for.
5. For eternal life. Confidently knowing that you will live eternally in God’s presence.
1 John 2:17 ESV
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Are you beginning to see how you can’t do this on your own? You are utterly dependent on God to live the Christian life because living the Christian life isn’t just holding to a subjective set of moral principles. That’s how the world views religion and why they can dismiss it or ask you to keep it to yourself.
It’s far more than a set of oughts. Abiding in Christ means constantly investing in a relationship with Him. You are being guided and taught by Him. You are re-orienting your life so that you can be aware of Him in every circumstance and have a robust and meaningful life.
We obey Christ, love Christ, focus on Christ, submit to Christ, learn from Christ, and imitate Christ so that we can be filled with Christ, have life in Christ, and glorify Christ by bearing fruit for Christ. That’s your motivation and your purpose.
He is the vine. You are the branch. The branch doesn’t exhaust its efforts on remaining attached. The vine holds the branch in place. The branch does what it was designed to do. Receive the life-giving sap from the vine and produce fruit.
III – How do I abide?
Consider how a police officer is trained in situational awareness. They monitor their surroundings, looking for anything out of place. They analyze the people around them for signs of threats. They develop an exit plan should things go sideways. Over time, this awareness becomes second nature. They don’t have to recall it. My guess is that, eventually, the real struggle is turning it off so they can relax.
Or, if you connect with the story of Sam and me watching TV, then consider Sam’s transition from focusing on the TV show to focusing on me. He didn’t need to turn off the TV to engage with me. He just needed to shift his focus to me and my words. He was already in my lap, and he would remain there as long as I wanted him there because I was strong enough to keep him there.
That is the essence of abiding, so as we learn how to apply it, know it boils down to a spiritual situational awareness and intentional focus on Christ.
1. Pray
Praying is talking to and hearing from God. You can’t have a relationship with someone you don’t speak to. Don’t limit your prayer life to one time a day. You can do this constantly throughout the day.
2. Consume scripture
We must abide in His word. God’s word is truth and is His revealed revelation to us. We can only know who He is and how He wants us to live by listening to what He tells us.
3. Remember what you have learned
Meditate on lessons from the past
Praise God for His goodness
Don’t forget how He has been active in your life
Revisioning – Take time to reflect on His goodness in the past so you can develop a vision for the future
4. Rely on the Spirit at all times
In everyday situations
Make it a daily practice of awareness
submit to the pruning shears
5. Being spiritually active
Branches were designed to produce
love others as God loves you
Endure and persevere with
Conclusion
You can walk away with many helpful images that remind you how to abide by or invest in your relationship with Jesus. You are learning how to do your part and trust Him with His part.
- Vine and the Branch (with that internal valve)
- The child in God’s lap
- The child in front of the heater, absorbing its constant flow of heat
- The police officer who is situationally aware
- The 90-year-old couple who have the same mannerisms
All of this imagery points you to the same truth. Abiding is an investment in a growing relationship with Christ. You grow in spiritual awareness, intentional focus, submission, and trust that produces fruit.
In short, you are all in for the long haul.