I forgot to take an opportunity for announcements, and I believe Heidi has an announcement. Thank you. Put their Bibles to the Gospel of John, chapter 15. John, chapter 15.
We are looking probably at some rather familiar scriptures, but my intent is to try to highlight a few things or teachings that are unique to the Gospel of John, and they are intended to move us in a direction that ultimately changes our lives. The other Gospels, there's a chance that you could read through them and learn all the right answers, but John's Gospel is intended to get your heart in the right place. And so you need all the Gospels together to develop within our minds and hearts a life that is consistent with the purpose and plan that Jesus Christ came. What's going to be unique about what we find in the Gospel of John, chapter 15, is the idea of abiding in Christ.
Some of our translations, just a little note ahead of time, you're gonna see the word remain. Remain seems to give a kind of a different picture than abiding in, and we're going to look at some scriptures that illustrate this to help us understand that you and I, as believers in Christ, we are a people in which Christ literally realistically lives inside of us. What produces change in our lives isn't so much that we just learn new information. It's a new person has taken up residence in our life, and therefore we are changed.
But it begins by learning that, it begins by humbly praying for that, it begins by receiving the presence of Christ inside of us. In John chapter 15, I'll begin with verse one, and I'll read down through 17. Jesus said, I am the vine, and we recognize that as we look at many of the truths that revealed to us in the Gospel of John that sometimes we can easily see it, and yet many times it takes a lot of pondering and meditation. We pray that we never lose the value and the blessing of learning to meditate, and yet we pray that as we learn, we pray that we would not be simply accepting, that knowing the answers that somehow we've arrived.
We pray, Lord, that the truth would do its deeper work in our lives, and we'd find our hearts truly in love and devotion to you, Jesus. Thank you for all that you teach, and we trust that as you even speak into our hearts today, that we might listen and receive in Jesus' name. Amen. Now the good news of the Gospel is that the word has become flesh and has dwelt among us, and that's how John begins his Gospel relatively early, is the idea that in the person of Jesus Christ, we have God coming and dwelling among us as a people.
And so we think of the word abiding, it's a little bit different than the idea that we might pick up like if we remain in him and he remains in us. Biting is really a concept that has been presented and illustrated all through the Old Testament scriptures, and I want to begin by looking up a few of these because I trust that it might help us appreciate this teaching in which Jesus utilizes for that. Turn with me to Leviticus chapter 26. We go back to some of the earlier scriptures, and we see that some of the promises are the blessings that would come by people who would respond to the things of God and choose to want to follow God and acknowledge God that within some of these promises that are mentioned to us, we find this precious truth presented to us.
Leviticus chapter 26, 11 and 12. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you of God who has not made a commitment to God. Their idea of probably what you and I believe is it's all in your head. They would get the idea that Christianity or any religion or that matter would probably be sort of summarized down as you believe what you want to believe and somebody else believes what they want to believe.
But your faith is simply something that's been processed and believed in your mind. Christianity is clearly a promise or a prophetic truth in which God has had from the beginning of time that God not only has come down to this earth to dwell among a people, but he's getting to the inside of you. And that's the beauty of what our faith is about. The idea of abiding is to understand that God has already begun that process.
But you and I are commanded to receive that process. And so we find in the gospel of John, not only that God desires to abide in us, or he has begun to abide in us, but we need to learn to abide in him. And so it's a relationship of trust and loyalty and devotion, but the idea of abiding would be like God steps down in the human body and walks upon the earth and he lives among his people. It's a concept that might seem somewhat familiar to us, and yet it might be somewhat difficult for us to grasp, that the God in heaven has chosen to dwell in you and me.
And so we find these promises that God wants to dwell among his people and walk among his people. We're familiar in the Psalms in chapter 91. He who abides in the presence of the Lord, shall abide. How's it go?
He dwells in the shelter the most high, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Okay, I have a brain freeze there. As we think in terms of the abiding there, once again, there's these promises where God desires to inhabit his people. He desires to live among his people.
And the distinct factor or quality of our lives is that we have God among us and we have God inside of us. And that is what John's gospel seems to bring clarity to more so than simply Matthew, Mark, or Luke, John is all about a savior who's getting to the heart of your life and the heart of mine. He lives, he dwells, he manifests himself inside of us. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 24, because there's other examples and illustrations of this, this presence of God that rests upon the people of God.
Exodus chapter 24 and verses 15 through 18. Now the more we're familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures, the more that some of these things are showed up and he led his people continually through what is known as the cloud of fire by night and the cloud which led them by day. Exodus 24 verse 15, but notice what is mentioned here. When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.
For six days, the cloud covered the mountain and on the seventh day, the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites, the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain and he stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. It's the idea of that cloud that not only was a unique, special experience of Moses, but that cloud continued to lead his people all the way to the entrance to the promised land.
For the whole time period, the cloud, the visible presence of God was manifested there. It's important to understand that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ that he gives reference to the cloud, he gives reference to the baptism in the Red Sea. He gives reference to the Shekinah glory upon the tabernacle and temple. Each of these representing the dwelling presence of God among his people.
Now we'll notice in the Old Testament, there seem to be a little bit more of a unique difference between that and the New Testament and the New Testament. It's not simply just the cloud among us, but Jesus, I trust it, God, to you. He does an inside job that that presence is clearly within our lives. And we'll attempt to break that down and try to look at that a little bit more clearly.
I want to reinforce this by looking at some other examples of this presence of God dwelling among his people. Look at chapter 25 of Exodus, we read in verses eight through nine. Now the Lord is teaching Moses as he's on the mountain and so Moses is communicating these to the people. Then the Lord says to Moses, have them make a sanctuary or a tabernacle building for me and I will dwell among them.
Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. So all we'll see once again, not only is the cloud the manifestation of the presence, but now God says there'll be a tent. We'll establish a place that when you go there, I will be there. And so these are some of the overflow of why we continue to believe the beauty and the importance of a house that's dedicated to God and we come to meet God and God promises to meet us there.
And we'll look at that a little bit further, chapter 29 of Exodus and verses 42 through 46. Exodus 29, 42 through 46. Now for generations to come, this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent to meet before the Lord. That's another take turn that's used interchangeably for the tabernacle is the tent to meet before the Lord.
There I will meet you and speak to you. There also I will meet with the Israelites and the place will be consecrated by my glory. It's the idea of coming to abide. It's the idea of coming into the presence of God and God promises that he will come and abide.
His presence, his glory will rest upon that place. So verse 44, I will consecrate the tent to meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons who to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell or abide among the Israelites and I will be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of Egypt, that I might dwell among them.
I am the Lord their God. It gets better, hold on. Exodus 33 verses seven through 11. Now what's unique about this is God's people, though they belong to him and his presence has been among them and around them.
Moses is on the mountain experiencing the real vibrant or the glorious presence of God. And God's people are down there making a golden calf. After there is intercession on Moses behalf and reconciliation in some sense through an intercession on Moses' part, God is now beginning to communicate to Moses another truth. Now in verse seven, now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away calling it the tent a meeting.
Anyone notice their inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent a meeting outside the camp. It's important to know that the concept of God's presence abiding among us is in essence purely and entirely a gift of God that God would allow himself in his holiness to hang around people like you and I who are less than holy. But because of the covering of Jesus Christ is what the New Testament is about, is you and I can come into the presence of God. We can come boldly into the presence of God.
Our confidence is in that the blood has been covered and applied, but we can come and meet with God and his presence can dwell within this heart. That's the message the hope we have in the Old Testament that was a place you typically went to meet with God. There are places set aside with the promise glory of God that were certain worship practices and festivals that we could be assured of the presence of God, the New Testament, God has come to live to take up residence within your heart and mind. And that is what this dwelling is about.
Now that verses seven through 11 are kind of like an interlude in what's happening between the beginning of chapter 33 and following. I'd like to read in chapter 33 and start by reading verses one through six. Now just as Moses stood to intercede for the people when the golden cap experiences going on, it's important to try to grab this concept because this is the part what kind of initiates how you and I abide in Christ. Christ has promised to abide in us, but there's a cooperation on our part.
Now notice a unique emphasis upon the dialogue between the Lord and Moses. In chapter 33, beginning one, the Lord says to Moses, lead this place, you and the people that you brought up out of Egypt and go up to the land I promised on those two Abraham. Isaac and Jacob saying, I will give it to your descendants. Now notice the Lord is saying to Moses, okay, the golden cap thing is over.
Go. I've already promised, I'm giving you the land. Go. But notice what God says in verse 32.
I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the parasites, the Hebaites, and the Jebusites. Verse three, go up to the land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go with you because you are a stiff necked people. And I might destroy you on the way. Verse four, when the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any tournaments.
For the Lord had said to Moses, tell the Israelites, you're a stiff necked people. If I were to go with you, even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do with you. So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Corom, notice in verse 12, Moses said to the Lord, you have been telling me, leave these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.
You have said, I know you by name, and you have found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways, so that I might know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people. The Lord replied, my presence will go with you.
And I will give you rest because of the intercessory rule of Moses. God says, all right, I'll go. That's the concept, the basis, the foundation of abiding, is Jesus has come and has been willing to be the one that goes before us, and he's invited us through a relationship with himself to come and know that his presence not only will go with us through life, but his presence will dwell inside us. The gospel is that God, knowing we are stiff necked people, has provided a means through a type of Moses, another one, Jesus Christ, who has interceded and forced, so that the presence of God can live and dwell within us.
What's the significance? When we look into the New Testament, please turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 6, because it's important to understand that John is writing his gospel, it is commonly believed and accepted, that it was shortly after the temple in Israel just came crashing down. The hope of Israel was in that dwelling place where God would meet with humanity, and Jesus simply made a statement on one occasion to destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it again. And so this irritated the people of God, because the people believe what makes them unique is the presence of God, what gives them their strength is the presence of God, what allows them to be different from the whole rest of the world is the presence of God among his people, and Jesus was clearly beginning to illustrate and communicate that that temple is my body.
So having been crucified, buried in risen again, that's now we have the basis of this teaching in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and we begin reading in 14, and we'll read down through 18, that you and I are the temple of the living God. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers for what does righteousness and wickedness have in common, what fellowship can light have with darkness, what harmony is there between Christ and Belau? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? The answer is, what agreement is there between temple of God and idols, for we are the temple of the living God.
That's what makes us unique. That's what identifies us as the people of God, and that's what brings about a whole different change in the good news that changes who we are. As God has said, I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people, therefore come out from them and be separated as the Lord, touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I'll be a father to you, you will be sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
I trust we realize, not only that we take the journey somewhat jumping through the Old Testament to set the tone for this, but many of Jesus's teachings were not really a new teaching. They were an old one, illuminated. In other words, Jesus brought out the truth, they were always intended to be talked, and always intended to be cherished. The realization is that Jesus came to not only die for the sins of humanity, but he came to dwell within us so that we might be a new kind of people that have a devotion and commitment to God.
But the concept of abiding is what he's attempting to communicate, is a kind of connection. So he takes the vine and the branches to illustrate it, which would be a very common experience in the land of Israel, and people would have seen that, they'd be aware of it, they understand the pruning, the trimming, they understand all the things that go in with caring for vineyards. But the thing they did not holy grasp, when Jesus says he is the true vine, and the UNI of branches, that was a very difficult concept for people to understand that the connection is go to the temple and meet with God. And so Jesus, through all of his ministry, and the crashing down of the temple in 80s, 70s, it all began to work in the minds and hearts of God's people.
Now I understand. It's not the building that we go to, to meet with God, though, as precious as this place is. It's the fact that UNI come together in this building, and UNI are the connecting place with God, that God lives inside of you and I, and when we come together in a love and commitment and unity and oneness, there is the Holy Spirit's groundwork for doing his great and glorious work. So how do these things begin to do their work?
I need to watch the time here, because I don't think the clock is really, okay, it's a quick deal. We looked at 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14. What's interesting is a concept that I'm just gonna grab out of here. This translation doesn't have it so clear, but in 1 Corinthians 6 19, maybe if we jump over there, it's a principle of Christ in us.
The way this begins is Jesus taught not so much that if you do this, this, and this, he will come and live inside of you. The Christian gospel is you need to know it's already done for you. That is difficult sometimes for us to grab a hold, but it's mentioned quite often in the Apostle Paul's writings that this concept of don't you know, or do you not know, or are you ignorant of? And then the truth begins to unfold.
Look at 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 9, because the moment that you and I respond in an element of desire and face, there is a fact that takes place, that Christ who died on the cross was buried in rose again, has already done something in you more before you do something for him. And that's what we're attempting to look at here. The beginning of the abiding is that God has come down to us. We did not go up to him, he came down to us.
And so the command for us to abide in him is to, first of all, understand he has done something in us. And by faith, we believe it's settled. 1 Corinthians 6 19, do you not know? Do you not know?
As the King James writes, no he not. And that was a song that my wife and I learned many years ago. We first came to faith, no he not, no he not, you're the temple of the Holy Ghost. No, praise go powerful with glory.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you whom you have received from God, you are not your own, you are bought at a price, therefore honor God with your body. It changes so many of the fundamental teachings that we sometimes wrestle with, because here we're talking about that our faith is embracing an identity that Jesus came because he is in you, you and I no longer own the property to our lives. Now sometimes we might say, well I haven't quite yielded to him. Well the issue isn't so much, your yielding issue is whether or not you and I accept the fact that God by his presence among us has already begun to do his work in your life.
And you and I ultimately must understand faith is believing what is a fact. It is not about the feelings, it's not about whether we like it, it's not about whether it fits nice, it doesn't matter how it seems to look in appearance upon us. You and I are temples of the Holy Spirit. Faith simply says, okay, and we live as if his presence is in us.
Another one that's rather interesting when we go back to Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, we begin with the same kind of introduction and it's important to know that a lot of the basis of the teaching in Romans is that you and I understand what Jesus Christ did. He did it before you and I began to cooperate. He did it in spite of whether you and I might resist it.
He died for hours in. So the assumption was that when you heard that God has done this thing and has paid for us in the natural response to good news is then what do I do? And so in Peter's first sermon in Acts chapter two, he talks about repent, believe and repent and be baptized, every one of you. So the baptism is one of those automatic things to verify that your faith has believed what God has already done.
Notice in verse three, no he not or don't you know that in all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his debts. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death and or the justice Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of God we too may live a new life. It goes on to say, if now something you need to understand about when you read in your Bible and there's a big hip there, it isn't quite often as much as we think it. That means if you've decided what it means is another word since.
In other words, it's already a fact, it's already settled, it's already been paid for. And so the since is because of this, no he not that since you have died with Christ, you will be raised again. In verse five, if we've been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. But we know as a fact that our old self was crucified, it's not being crucified, it was crucified so that the body of sin might be gone away that we should no longer be slayed to sin because anyone who has died as it's already passed has been freed from sin.
The gospel is Jesus has done it all. The gospel is it's already settled. A abiding in him is learning to say, it's the fact and therefore I will receive it. I will embrace it, I will hold it, I will keep it.
I realize it might seem like, well, some of us might say, well then I guess it really doesn't matter whether I begin to orchestrate my life or experience change in my life will be committed. Now the death has taken place, the blessing has been promised and therefore we need to understand that faith is not so much about believing anything we wanted to believe. It's simply responding to what has already been settled. The secret to a changed life doesn't begin by you and I trying to figure out how to flow with it or fight against it.
The secret to the faith is letting the truth be the truth. And so we see these knowing not to this knowledge kind of thing as if you already know these things. Now begin to put them into your life. Now in verse eight, now if we died with Christ, that is since we died with Christ, we believe that we also live with him, for we know that since Christ was raised on the dead he cannot die again, death no longer as mastery over him, the death he died he died to sin.
Once for all but the life he lives, he lives to God. Now in the same way, count yourself dead to sin. You take it, you hold it, you keep it. Along to God, count yourself, reckon.
We sometimes struggle with this kind of a gospel presentation because we kind of think there's a lot of things I gotta do first. There's a lot of things I have to be first. There's a lot of ideas I have to hold first. You and I need to realize the secret to the power of God is letting God do the power.
And you and I learn to abide in the one who's been trying to demonstrate or teach us about his abiding in us. Now ultimately we need to understand it. That is one of the best ways of describing what the Christian life is all about. Christian life is that God got to me.
And somehow he moved in my life and some alley began to change my world from the inside out. That's the message of the beauty of the gospel. Now look at 2 Corinthians, we'll go right back there to chapter 13 and we want to look at verse five because fundamentally we might struggle sometimes over the faith of the dwelling presence of God. But we need to ask ourselves a question as we think in terms of this.
There is a way that God could literally die from the sense of humanity. And ultimately you and I are well aware that some people either do not know that or have not allowed that to change the condition of our life. And so technically there is a kind of evaluation examination that we ought to do as we're experiencing the abiding of Christ in us. This is our part where we're abiding him, our responsibility.
It begins by answering a question or taking a test. In 2 Corinthians 13 and verse five, examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you?
Unless of course you build a test. The test is not to check out your report card. The test is have you come to a place and you settled the issue of belong to God. He lives inside.
It's difficult sometimes to think that it can't be that easy. And the truth is it really isn't that easy to humbly believe that you and I one day will stand before God knowing there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ. How we come to the place where we acknowledge that it isn't because of what I've done and it isn't going to continue to be because of what I do that gets me to the finish line. It is based upon the fact that Jesus Christ lives and dwells within me.
It's the element of abiding, is learning to rest in the presence of a holy God who wants to get to the inside of your life and mind. We abide first of all by simply believing it. Jesus introduced it to he who is thirsty, let him come and drink, he who is hungry, let him come and eat. We find so many examples of this open invitation.
Right away, our minds might be thinking, well, what's the catch? Where's the fine prince abiding? God will take us through those valleys. He will take us through those journeys of growth.
He will bring us to new levels of experience. But the beginning to our face is understanding that the fact of what Jesus Christ has done for us and the purpose and plan was to get to you from the inside out and the beauty is that he will have his way, will have his purpose. It's a long hard road to fight it and resist it. And many of us are well aware of the resistance that might work within our lives.
And yet when he gets and breaks our pride and brings us to a place, we say, where else am I gonna go? But to respond to him. Well, the second thing is that he not only does, he become a living reality within our lives, but there will be times as we look back in John that now we get to another side. And it might seem like a contradiction, but please bear with me.
John chapter six and verse 60. And this is the beauty of John's gospel. As it doesn't allow you to grab one truth and believe you've got it all. Because the moment that you hold to the sacredness of one truth in John's gospel, he throws another truth from another angle.
It's important to know as beautiful as the gospel might ring in our ears. And as much as that truth may have begun to radically change us, very quick in our response to that, there'll be times when the disappointments in life, the misunderstandings in life, bring us to a place we gotta make a whole new commitment to Jesus Christ as part of the abiding in looking John chapter six and verse 60. Now, on hearing this, many of his disciples said, this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?
How many of us wanna testify? You've come across a scripture now, man, that either rubs your wrong or you're thinking, whoa, that's asking way too much out of a guy like this. I remember I was a new Christian, I was struggling with the idea that a person asked for your coat. Go ahead and give it to him.
And I'm thinking, I don't know how that works. Okay, maybe I can do that. And I was in the Navy at the time, got off the ship, went right down onto the pier and some kid came asking for my coat. I didn't give it to him.
But bother me. And I thought, Lord, I don't know how that works, but it can't be that. He can't have my coat because he simply asks my coat. And those of us that have been going to communities or big cities where there's homeless people and the needs are so high, it'll stretch your faith about giving to everyone that asks and all these kind of things.
Well, when you get to the one where someone is slapped on the one cheek, turn and give me another. I mean, this is a world in which we step into, we begin to breed this faith and say, Lord, I need to know. I can't simply just ignore these things. Though I might fight it, I may resist it.
Somehow your truth begins to do its great work. I think later on I went back and look at for the kid and I guess he already got somebody else's coat and was gone. But somehow you go through these things thinking, am I really supposed to take these things to this extent and trust him? Okay, there's hard teachings of Jesus.
And on this particular occasion, he's teaching about eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood and right away many of the disciples, that's a hard teaching and verse 61, aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, does this offend you? You know, there's nothing like working through the truths that God has prevented and attempting to wrestle with them and apply them and to choose to be obedient to them. And yet, you know, ultimately decisions are made which determine the direction of our followers. Abiding in him is to stick it out.
Abiding in him is to work through some of the difficult ones to enjoy the easy ones, to take the promises, but also recognize the warnings of the teachings. Abiding is to allow the teacher to finish his teaching sessions, allow the one who's attempting to guide our lives to continue to lead us, even through the thick and thin, the storms, the challenges of life. It is the truth that has been given to us. Later on, we find in John chapter six.
He says another interesting thing in verse 63, which is tied together with this abiding. Not only are we temples of the living God, but we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Verse 63 says, the spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and their life.
So you can begin to get a little glimpse of John what he's attempting to say is when Jesus speaks, it's the same thing as if God speaks and let there be light and there's light. He's the creator of the universe speaking these words of spirit and life, and they have creative power. The secret to a changed life is not only the idea that the Jesus guy lives inside of us, but we are constantly feeding on his truths that have the power to change our whole world. And so as we continually abide, we've got to work through some of the difficulties, the challenges, the misunderstandings, they all become part of that mix that allow us to remain or abide in his presence.
Ultimately, Jesus says very kindly to his disciples in verse 67, you do not want to leave too, do you? I don't know whether he had a smile on his face or he had a somewhat a stern face, but he looks at his disciples, he says, you know what? The ranks are getting really thin today. We're down to 12, yeah.
We've got a choice, you want to leave? And yet he understood by his grace and by his prayers that he wouldn't lose any. And looked at him, no doubt, said in verse 68, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life everlasting.
We all go through this challenge in life whether they seem to be struggles over the concept of scriptures or struggles over the concept of identity or struggles over whatever it might be. I'm biting, it's a hang in there and let the presence of God soften your heart so that you and I are capable at some point. I'm saying, Lord, okay, the kid can have my code. At some point, we find ourselves yielding to the flow of God's spirit that is grace upon our lives.
Biting is to allow not only truth to come in the beginning stages, but as certainly in those aspects of transformation. Another one of those, if you look back in John chapter 15, is not only is it the words and the person of Christ, but then he begins to touch upon some other moral founds through such as John 15 and verse nine. Now as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you, now remain in my love, so the abiding goes from receiving the words that works through the identity of Christ in our lives, but now we have to deal with this love factor. I'll admit that one took a little while for me.
I could understand in theory the idea of that God is love and but for him to love me as is unconditionally was, it took a couple years of me attempting to follow Jesus that you love me and it's a fact. You love me and that's just the way it is. You love me, I mean love sometimes might sound great, but you know, when people are hurt in the past, you try to get my hug and I don't look, okay. Sometimes spiritually speaking, we struggle with the same aspects of resistingness, but now Jesus has begun to abide in us so that you can go around giving people hugs in the name of Jesus.
And so we work through that abiding, is learning to love unlovely people. That's what ties in all those teachings about even loving your enemy and loving people that you're not gonna get any credit, you're not gonna get any reward, you and I are well aware that some people are very lovable like me, you know, but there's others of us that we may not be so lovable. And some days we might be lovable and some days we aren't, we don't need to elaborate on that. I mean, when we take it terms of whether it's, in our homes or with our family members, I mean, in laws and outlaws, or a rather interesting type of community, but you and I are called to be this people that abide in that love.
And so we remain in there, we work through that because of that love. Now what's interesting is how that in the first letter of John, if you go towards the back of your Bible, that John elaborates on this a little bit more, this concept of abiding. And he touches upon it in chapter four. And you'll notice how he connects this love with God living inside of us.
And that's important to realize your capacity to love not so loving people isn't because you and I have worked our way up, it's because God has come down because of his presence inside of us, because of Christ in us. You and I are capable of giving a kid your jacket. You and I are capable of loving unlovely people only and because of Christ in us. That is what this relationship is about is and John wants to drive at home.
Though the other gospels might give you the impression that what you believe in your head is what counts on judgment day, John's gospel is saying who you are on the inside is the real ultimate test. Where is this Jesus? Does he truly come and live within us? And has he begun to have his way in our lives?
In John chapter, first John, chapter four, notice here it says it in verse 12, no one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us. And his love is made complete in us. We know again that knowing that we live in him and he and us because he's given us of his spirit and we have seen and testified that the Father has sent his son to be the savior of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and we rely on the love that God has for us. God is love. We were lives in love, lives in God and God in him.
Again, once again, the goal is not to figure out how to put on this love so that we can become likable by God or loved by God. The truth is God already has loved us unconditionally and he's put that love in our heart. We by faith believe. Okay, it's a fact.
It's settled. God loves me. And he's already given that love in us. You and I need to learn to abide and let that love come out.
God wants to do so many things in our lives. And the gospel, John makes it important that you and I understand, believing these things will bring about life that comes from him. John's purpose is to bar us against becoming somewhat a busy people, trying to do the right things rather than simply learning to rest and abide in the presence of God and let God do even greater things in us and through us. There's the message of John's gospel and one more thing that's free of charge.
Ask whatever you wish to be given to you comes out of the abiding. Tremendous promise and blessing that he comes. He asks us, he invites us, he pleads with us. He overlooks our sin in the past, he pays for it all so that the Christ in us might truly be the most distinctive quality of who you and I are.
Father, we pause before you, we recognize that these truths have the power to celebrate. But we know it's really you, it's not just an idea of truth, it's you Jesus, you come in our hearts. And I pray for each and everyone here today that if I chance we're here and we have not allowed you to be the true and dwelling center of our lives, give us courage to trust you and to receive you. Jesus, God bless you, have a great day.