Abide as a theme for the coming year

  1. Abide is not just a thing we add to our list, but it is the list.
  2. Need time to grow into the vine so this isn’t something we decide to do and are finished
  3. John 15 is very specific in this area.  There is no possible way to produce fruit unless we learn to abide.
  1. More than an encounter

John 1: 35 – 50 Is Jesus encounter with his first disciples.

 

  1. Andrew following John and followed Jesus after an encounter of dove descending upon Jesus and a voice from heaven.
    1. Some will follow the latest thing that is happening.
    2. Curious to see what is going to happen next
  2. Andrew brought his brother to Peter
    1. Prophetic word over him.  You’ll be called Peter instead of Simon
  3. Phillip brought Nathaniel to Jesus
  4. Nathaniel is skeptical
    1. Prophetic word that comes over him about who he is and what he was reading
    2. He proclaimed that you are the Son of God King of Israel.

These are incredible encounters that these men have and it is the start of following Him, but it is not abiding

We can be enraptured with what Jesus is doing but still have no desire to abide with Him

EXAMPLE:  satan was a worship leader in heaven and he still left and took 1/3 of the angels with him.

2.  Abiding more than what’s next

The four Gospels are a laid out story of Jesus from different perspectives and as you read them all together with the events happening, you can usually put the stories in their proper perspective.

EXAMPLE:

  1. Mark 1: 16 Jesus saw Andrew and Simon fishing and said follow me.  He almost seemed like a pied piper of disciples that all he had to do was go up to someone and say something and they would leave all to follow.
  2. Luke 4 is a prelude to Luke 5 where the call is
    1. Their teacher from John 2 is talking in their synagogue in Capernaum
      1. A demon is cast out of a man in the service
      2. They go to stay at Peter’s house and heals his mother-in-law of a high fever.
      3. Healed many people in the city
      4. John 4 They go to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and not he way back, they minister to a woman at the well and soon the whole city.  he stayed with them  two more days.  The disciples went back home as they did not want to stay in Samaria.  John 4: 43, 44

Almost like following Jesus and saying what is next and when I don’t like it, I am going to take a break from this and come back later.

3. The Call

Luke 5 Let’s go out fishing again.

1. cleaning nets from their fishing

2. You fish at night and drive the fish into their nets.

3. Go out deeper and go alone during the day with everyone looking

4. He catches so many fish that he calls out for his partners.

5. More than an encounter or what’s next

6. First encounter with the holiness of God.

We will not abide with someone who we are bored with. We will accept an invitation to someone important but not an ordinary person

We have made our God so small that we don’t really see a need to stay with him because we have him all figured out.

  1. You heal people SOMETIMES
  2. You are able to do miracles that we hear about and maybe we believe them maybe we don’t
  3. Prophetic words spoken over us until we need another word spoken
  4. here, Peter encountered the Holiness of God. VS 8
    1. More than an answered prayer but the glory of God
    2. Same thing happened to Martha at Lazarus grave.  If you believe in me, you will see the glory of God.

Come with me and stay with me. (Abide in me)

Leave nets and take on full time discipleship  James and John also follow  Mark 1: 20

Luke 14: 25 – 33 This is counting the cost, not a pied piper following of Jesus.

  1. What about my family?
  2. What is my future going to look like
  3. What about my finances, this is a large haul of fish

if we don’t answer this call to be with Jesus, then what does the rest of this matter?

4. The Cornerstone

Matthew 21: 42 Call to the pharisees to follow him and be a part of the kingdom.

  1. They had a real problem with so many things.
  2. You are rejecting the cornerstone that will hold all of this together.
  1. it will become the CAPSTONE.  Head piece of the arch.

Abiding in Jesus is nothing but the giving up of oneself to be ruled and taught and led and so resting in the arms of Everlasting Love.

As soon as we yield ourselves to the Lord to obey, he gives them the strength and joy to do it.