John 15:4

ABIDING IN CHRIST

‘Abide in Me, and I in you.’

John 15:4

‘Abide in Me’—these words sum up all Christian life; ‘I in you’ sum up all the promises of the Lord to the Christian.

I. To abide in Christ—what does it mean? It means—

(a) To cherish in mind the constant recollection of the Lord Jesus.

(b) To study His teaching.

(c) To live by His example.

(d) To be full of frequent prayer to Him.

The one great aim of the Christian must be to please his Lord.

II. Christ’s Presence—how is it manifested; It is seen—

(a) In the growth of the conscious leading on, of the strengthening of the will to resist temptation.

(b) In the diffusion of His love in the heart leading on to a more complete surrender.

The Lord is rich in mercy towards all who abide in Him.

Archbishop Temple.

Illustration

‘Those who are in Christ are bound to serve God with their whole being; with their intellect no less than with their heart and their strength and their substance. They are distinguished from others, not by any difference in the strenuousness of their labours, but by their motive and their aim. For them all that falls within human observation is a potential parable of spiritual realities, through which a fresh vision may be gained of the glory of God. They will be the keenest of men to watch for the dawn of new ideas. For them there can be no despondency and no indifference. They bring to the Lord the firstfruits of all that He has lent to them, and commit their gains to His keeping.’