web analytics
Skip to main content

The Journey-Abide: Week 2

The Journey-Abide: Week 2

Abide with Christ

Today we are talking about ABIDANCE. Misunderstandings about what abidance means:

    • Just have more Faith
    • Read my Bible more (start a Bible reading plan)
    • Pray more (start a prayer journal)
    • Abiding in Christ means doing more for Jesus
    • Abidance means that I don’t need to do anything… that I just simply sit on the couch (spiritually) because Jesus will do everything for me.
  •  As Christians, our ability to do anything “good” rests on what our abidance in Christ looks like!

Ephesians 1:1-14 (ESV) 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

  •  In 14 verses, we hear “In Him” or “In Christ” 10 times!

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-19 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go

therefore and make disciples of ______________,

  •  This is a massive calling, an impossible mission, and yet, this is what Jesus is asking of you and I.
  • The good news is that Jesus doesn’t just give us this impossible mission and then leave us. We need to keep reading the passage.

Matthew 28:18-20 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, _________________


  •  Jesus is talking about abidance… “I’m going to be with you”!

Jesus defines abidance:

John 15:1-7 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every 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. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide 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. 5I 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. 6If 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. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

ABIDANCE MEANS:

To be ________________ :

1 Corinthians 1:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Colossians 1:17-19 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

• There are so many “Christians” running around today calling themselves followers of Jesus but who are not actually connected to Jesus.

To be ________________ :

John 15:4-5 4Abide in me, and I in you. As ______________, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I 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.

To be ________________ :
• MENO – “to remain” – to be steadfast1
• Does this mean that we have to be perfect? Does this mean that we aren’t going to make mistakes? Nope! It means that we stay thirsty for the things of God.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

• Are you hungry for Jesus? Or are you happy with what the world offers?
• Being constant in our relationship with Christ is knowing when we need to repent and return to Him.
• Repentance is the gateway to consistency in our relationship with Jesus!

CLOSE:
• What are you hearing from the Holy Spirit today?
• Have you been trying to do things for God without being connected to the life source?
• Have you been taping fake fruit to a dead branch?

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:
Passages to consider: Ephesians 1-2:10; John 15:1-8; Romans 12:1-2
Icebreaker: Tell about a time when you or a friend ran out of gas. If you have never run out of gas, share about losing power like electricity or battery life.
• What stood out to you from the sermon this week?

  1. Read John 15:1-8 & Romans 12:1-2. What do these passages tell you about a relationship with God? A) Help each other define the word “abiding.”
  2. What helps you connect with Jesus? A) What can be a factor in you being disconnected from Jesus?
  3. What’s it like when you spiritually run out of gas?
  4. What encourages you to be consistent in pressing into your relationship with Jesus? A) What do you do when you have been inconsistent?
  5. Key ways to grow in an abiding relationship include: interacting with the word, prayer, worship, and community with other believers. Share how you practice 1-2 of these areas. As you listen to each other, pick out a couple things someone else does that you want to try.
  6. What other practices help your heart and mind listen and respond to God?