The Power of Abiding
We’re living in the last of the last days:
For those who don’t know the signs of the times - they could be concerned
For us that know - we are comforted - and we look up because our redemption draws near
I realise the world has had other times like this - the Spanish Flu - world wars
The main difference is we are nearing the end of an age - the allocated time for the church age (which is in the 2000 year bracket) - is coming to an end
I noticed Jesus prayed more intensely as His sacrifice for mankind approached:
He usher out an age and usher in an age - I don’t think I would be exaggerating if I said
We are in a time that effective and fruitful prayer would help us individually and also the church globally.
John 15:5 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.
The vine is where life is - the branches need the vine
Jesus is the vine - we are the branches - we are dependant upon Him - we need Him
Apart from Him - we can do nothing of a spiritual nature - (the world and it’s systems continues on - people without Him study-work hard-and achieve-but those aren’t things of a spiritual nature)
Jesus is talking about bearing fruit for His kingdom
For matters of the kingdom - we are the most fruitful when we ABIDE in Him and allow His Words to abide in us
ABIDE: a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, or relation): — abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, tarry (Greek Strong’s Dictionary)
Both of these are decisions we make - God gave us a free will
So we choose to STAY-REMAIN-DWELL-ABIDE IN HIM
We also choose to put His Word FIRST PLACE
So today we’ll be looking into…The Power of Abiding
Or…Bearing Much fruit by Relationship and Revelation
Let’s read the context of these verses:
John 15:4 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.
John 15:5 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.
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (ESV)
Here are some things we’ll talk about today:
What kind of fruit is He talking about?
Bible accounts of prayer results
What place are we praying from?
Three things concerning His Words abiding IN us
What Kind of Fruit is He Talking About?
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Jesus is talking about prayer fruit
Notice that He gives 2 qualifiers for answered prayer - or prayer fruit
One: Abide in me and Two: Allow My Words to abide in you
He makes a bold and resolute statement saying: “ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you”.
He adds more to His bold statement in verse 8:
John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (ESV)
He tells us His Father (our Father if you are Christian) is glorified when we have our prayers answered
He calls that bearing fruit
He then said: answered prayer is proof we are His disciples - (a disciple is a Christian who is taught and trained up)
I have heard them called - (a disciplined one)
NOTE: I said that to make sure there isn’t confusion - you can be a Christian and not have your prayers answered
NOTE: some Christian Worldviews say God is sovereign and He decides if He wants to answer our prayers
Jesus said: If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you - ASK and it will be done
We need to look into this today
Bible accounts of prayer results:
Going back to the O.T. we see those who prayed from different places:
Because today we are talking about praying from a place of relationship and abiding
So…
Job prayed from a place of fear - (Job 1:4-5, 3:25)
Saul prayed from a selfish place - (1 Samuel 15:30)
Ezra sincerely prayed for direction - (Ezra 8:21-23)
Moses sincerely prayed for direction - (Duet 9:9-19)
Esther prayed for the deliverance of the Jews - (Esther 4:16)
Nehemiah prayed for the needs of others - (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
ONE N.T. example:
Jesus prayed from a place of abiding - (numerous scriptures)
The results of prayer :
Job prayed from a place of fear - No answer
Saul prayed from a selfish place - No answer
Ezra sincerely prayed for direction - Prayer answered
Moses sincerely prayed for direction - Prayer answered
Esther prayed for the deliverance of the Jews - Prayer answered
Nehemiah prayed for the needs of others - Prayer answered
N.T. Example results
Jesus prayed from a place of abiding - EVERY prayer answered
NOTE: Jesus was in relationship with His Father - AND He was full of the Word - The Word abided IN Him
The Word was REVELATION to Him
He had Relationship and Revelation - He BORE MUCH FRUIT
What place are we praying from?
A hurried place - distracted place - a divided interest place
A place of fear - a selfish place - a place of wondering - a place of doubt
TESTIMONY: I have prayed hurried prayers - distracted prayers - I prayed from a place of fear
ONE event in my life that was EYE OPENING - happened in Sicily
I refer back to that more than any other
It was 1993 - our first daughter was around 5 months old
This was AN EYE OPENER - I LEARNED SOMETHING
I was abiding in Him - Once I received Him as Lord - I never walked away from Him - Just like most of you I’m sure
YET, His Words about healing weren’t fresh and real to me
BECAUSE His Words weren’t fresh and alive - I WAS SPEAKING FROM MY HEAD - NO results
I realised I needed to feed and meditate on scripture - (1 Pet 2:24 and M 11:23)
Once I did they came alive to me
I prayed FROM my HEART (not my head) and results came - fruit came
This is where I learned the power of abiding in His Word
6 years later - one of the girls had a high fever
I did the same thing - except that time it took around 6 hours - the time in Sicily happened in around 20 minutes or so
I had to be willing to stay in the fight
For the remainder of today - We’ll assume we are all abiding In Him:
JUST as I was abiding in Him - I received Him as Lord - and I never walked away from Him
WE STAYED WITH HIM - WE ARE IN HIM and HE IS IN US
HE IS LORD! - WE ARE ABIDING IN HIM
So…Let’s focus on…Three Things About His Words abiding IN us
These three things helped me throughout the years
The first one became a cornerstone in my Christian walk
It is essential to…# one
One: Be Convinced God’s Word is Absolute Truth
I study to rightly divide the Word - NOT to explain it away
NOT to say what it doesn’t mean
I receive God’s Word at face value
What happened in SICILY - The reason I went right to my favourite 2 scriptures and began meditating on them
Was because I believed them to be absolute truth
1 Pet 2:24 and Mark 11:23
Psa. 119:89 Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. (ESV)
Psa. 119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (ESV)
Prov. 30:5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (ESV)
2 Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (ESV)
When we are absolutely convinced His Word is truth
We will believe it at face value - we act on it - pray it - trust it - depend on it - do it
This is what helped me in Sicily - when I spoke to my daughter’s fever
I TRULY believed Mark 11:3 was for me today - (1993 - it didn’t end with the last apostle)
Two: Cross Over to the “All Things are Possible Realm”
If we settle the fact that God’s Word is absolute truth
Then we will take this next scripture at face value - Instead of explaining it away
Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” (ESV)
Jesus said this - How can we explain it away - or attempt to make it say something different?
Abiding in Him and allowing His Words to abide in us positions us for prayer fruit - answered prayers
If God promises it - then we can ask for it - and He will give it
If the doctor tells you that you have a certain sickness or disease:
You have this attitude - I heard your report - But now I turn to the report of my Lord and saviour - (old song - whose report will you believe?)
NOTE: this also applies for our prayers outside of our own needs
When we pray for the government and our leaders
Three: Believe Facts Over Feelings - (Bible facts)
Heb. 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)
Heb. 11:1 Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see. (WYMTH)
Faith deals with “unseen realities” - the evidence of things not seen
By faith we can understand creation - (those who aren’t in Christ - born of the Spirit - in God’s Word - they come up with crazy theories on creation)
God spoke the universe into existence out of nothing:
God had creation in His heart - it was crystal clear to Him - He saw it
At a time of His choosing - He spoke it into existence
Heb. 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. (CSB)
Remember that Jesus said: whosoever shall say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea…
Jesus told us we could speak the Word - He said “whosoever”
If we are promised something - if we allow that promise to speak to us to become real - to convince us - to paint a picture in our spiritual hearts - that happened in 1993 when I spoke and commanded the fever off of Liliana
It’s a matter of knowing - of seeing
Real faith is firmly persuaded in God's Word regardless of the lack of physical evidence to support it, or the existence of physical evidence that would contradict It.
Here is an example of someone requiring physical evidence:
John 20:25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (ESV)
Our senses will never tell us we have faith - sight - feelings
Our senses will never tell us we have ENOUGH faith
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
Why? Because our senses/feelings don’t think they have enough faith - (in their case it was to forgive)
If our belief is based upon what we feel or what we see - we will waver - up and down
What our physical senses tell us is most of the time contrary to what God’s Word tells us
Example: Faith for Healing
Healing is true whether our physical symptoms improve or become worse - if our faith is based upon the improvement of our body - it reveals we did not exercise faith.
Illustration: I hold up this piece of paper
can you see this paper?
how much faith is needed to see this? none, because it can be seen
I put back on the pulpit and say: there is a an A4 piece of paper on the pulpit. - Can you see it?
Because you can’t see it - you NOW would need to believe my word OR disbelieve my word.
now faith is required - because you can't see it
faith must become the evidence of what you don't see
2 Cor. 4:18 because we are NOT looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
how can we look at something that is not seen
only with the eye of faith
Allowing a promise from God’s Word to become evidence
By His Stripes LILIANA MY DAUGHTER IS HEALED - I see it with my natural eye
BUT God’s Word painted a picture - It gave me evidence of this
SUMMARY:
Jesus had everyone of His prayers answered
Jesus told us we could also bear much prayer fruit
He told us to abide in Him and allow His Words to abide in us
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches
Jesus and God’s Words are our life source
We have a choice as to what place we pray and the best place to pray from is a place of abiding
Accepting God’s Word as absolute truth is a critical component when we pray
Jesus said all things are possible to those who believe
Abiding in God’s Word will elevate us to a place where we are convinced all things are possible
Always believe Bible facts over feelings