REVIEW
So, we began a series a couple of months ago entitled The True Vine, which is based on Jesus’ teaching in John 15:1-8.  Essentially, these teachings have been aimed at showing us how to be fruitful in our lives for the glory of the Father.
Now we saw how these instructions by Jesus were a part of His last words to His disciples contained in John 14, 15 & 16.  Therefore, we learned that this particular teaching had to have been one of the most important lessons that He could have left them with—for wouldn’t you, if you were about to leave your Father’s business to those whom you have trained, give them some of the most important things for them to remember right before you left them?  And that’s what these verses are—one of the most important lessons one could learn in the wake of Jesus leaving the earth and sitting at the right hand of our Father.  
Well, in this parable, Jesus is teaching about the power and importance of “abiding” by using the analogy of how branches abide in their vine.  So, since Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing (see verses 4-5), this principle of abiding is evidently a very important lesson.  Yes, we must learn this principle of “abiding” if we are going to bear fruit for God or be able to do anything for Him.
Now we saw last time how the word “abide” comes from the Greek word meno which means “to stay, remain, live or dwell.”  So, when Jesus said to His disciples to abide in Him, what He was literally saying was— “remain and stay in me.”  Amen!
But we saw that a common misunderstanding of these Scriptures in John chapter 15 is that abiding in Him is the same as what the Apostle Paul commonly referred to as being “in Him.”  Those of us who are learned in the New Testament and the Pauline Epistles know that he commonly referred to who we are in Christ—how we are righteous and blessed in Him, and how we are holy, beloved, called, chosen, etc. in Christ Jesus.  But these truths are post-resurrection realities, not truths that occurred before the Cross. So, it would not have made any sense for Jesus to tell his unregenerate disciples to “remain in Him” when they were never “in Him” to start with.
No, the common understanding of the phrase “in Him” at the point Jesus was sharing this was of His disciples abiding “in the midst of Him” or “in His presence.”  That would have certainly made more sense to Jesus’ disciples.  Well, sort of… 
A good next question then is:  Why would Jesus tell His disciples to “stay in the midst of Him” or “remain in His presence” if He was about to leave them?  How would that have even been possible for them to do that?  And we found the answer to these questions to be that we can be just as close to the Lord (in regards to an experiential knowledge of Him) by faith as we can by sight.  In other words, we can walk with the Lord and practice His presence just like Enoch did, even though He was not physically present with Him.  Amen!
So, yes, the Lord can be just as real to you by faith as He would be if He were still physically walking this earth.  Amen!  This is what Jesus was teaching His disciples—that just because He was leaving them, they didn’t need to leave Him. Just because He would soon no longer be present, they could still stay in His presence.  In other words, just because He was physically departing the earth, their hearts did not need to depart from the truth of knowing that He would always be with them, even to the end of the world.  
Now another point that needed to be understood is that the Lord had always promised them these things:  As I just quoted from the last verse in the book of Matthew (Matthew 28:20), Jesus said, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Also, in the context of John chapter 15, Jesus said that He would not leave us orphans but He would come to us (John 14:18). He said in John 14:23 that He and His Father would come to those who love Him and make His home with them.  So, in one breath, Jesus was telling them He was leaving them and, in another breath, He would never leave them or forsake them. So, which is it?
Well, we came to understand two things:

1. Jesus is always with us spiritually. We see this in the Book of Revelation as He is quoted as walking in the midst of the churches, and in the Gospels that if two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them. But that is not the same as Him being there physically.
2. We also need Jesus with us naturally too—that is, His manifest presence with us in our gatherings and everywhere else we go.

You see, Jesus is with us when we gather together in His name.  Therefore, Jesus is in our church meetings, Bible studies, and He is with us today—RIGHT NOW!  But how many of you know, while we need to understand that Jesus is always with us and we don’t need to see Him as a distant God off in the heavens somewhere, we also need His manifest presence in our lives!?!
So, we need to understand that God is always present, but that does not mean that we are abiding in His presence.  There is a big difference between these two positions—Him abiding in us and us abiding in Him.  Sure, God is omnipresent—meaning He is everywhere, all the time.  But that does not mean that He is tangibly felt and experienced everywhere, all the time.
You see, there is a difference between the Lord being present in the spirit realm and being present in the physical realm.  And, oh, how there are so many benefits to Him being in the natural all around us!
And this is what we focused on last time:  How to abide in His natural, manifest presence.  And, in essence, we learned that the main way to practice His presence is by letting His praises continuously be in our mouth (see Psalm 34:1).  Yes, by rejoicing in the Lord always—constantly praising, thanking and worshipping Him—we can “stay” in that place where we are plugged in to the power source and are walking in His tangible presence!  Amen! 
Saints, we must learn how to abide in His manifest presence!  The promises are boundless!  This is where the power is experienced!  If we are going to truly be fruitful believers and eat of this fruit ourselves, we need this one thing—abiding in the Lord Jesus!
But this is just the first part of the two qualifications for asking what we desire and it being done for us.  So, this week, let’s look at the second component:
 
ABIDING IN HIS WORD
Jesus also said in John 15:7, “and (if) My words abide in you.”
So, again, the word “abide” means “to stay, remain, live or dwell.”  Therefore, Jesus was talking about His Words—that is, His sayings, His teachings, and the instructions that He gave to His disciples, or you could also say the Holy Scriptures themselves, etc. “staying, remaining, living and dwelling” in us.
Now, again, the terminology Jesus used of us abiding “in Him” and His words abiding “in us” does not only mean “on the inside” of something.  His Words could certainly remain inside of His disciples, but a more accurate rendering of the Greek word en that was used here would be “in the midst of.”  Therefore, Jesus’ Words abiding in them was referring more to His Words staying or remaining with them—that is, them keeping Jesus’ sayings with them to where they would not forget nor forsake them. In other words, what Jesus was wanting His disciples to do was “keep” the Word that was sown into them.
In John 8:31-36, Jesus said something very significant along these same lines of having His Words abide in and with us:  In these verses we are told: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’  They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?’  Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Now we see in verse 31 that Jesus began speaking to those Jews who believed Him.  Now although they believed in Him, this did not automatically make them His disciples.  Therefore, Jesus said to them that truly believed— “If you abide (i.e. stay, remain, live, and dwell) in My word, you are My disciples indeed…”  In other words, Jesus was saying that when those that believe on Him stay in His Word, then they truly become His disciples.  Allow me to paraphrase Jesus’ saying here:  “The way that you will prove that you are really My disciples is by remaining in My word—the word that you have just begun to believe.”
You see, many people like to quote just this part of Jesus’ statement in John 8:32.  But what is that at the beginning of this verse?  A conjunction, right?  So, what does that mean?  It means that whatever Jesus said right before this is tied into the reality of this verse.
And notice the fruit of becoming His disciple:  Jesus goes on to say, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  So, His disciples will both know the truth and that truth will make them free!  The word “know” that Jesus used here comes from the Greek word ginosko which, in this case, is the “recognition of truth by personal experience.”  So, first of all, if we remain in His Word and not let it depart from the midst of your heart, then we shall come to know the truth—that is, personally experience it.  How does this work?  By the truth of His Word being revealed to you! 
And notice what happens next:  Jesus went on to say that this truth that we have experienced shall make us free!  The word He used for “free” here comes from the Greek word eleuthero which means “to liberate, acquit, set free, or emancipate.”
So, the real question here is—free from what?  What will His truth liberate us from?  Well, considering the context, we see that Jesus was referring to the dominion of sin.  So, in the New Testament, this word was used to describe Jesus setting believers free from the dominion of sin.
But the point I want you to see here is that the one who is truly made free—from everything from sin’s dominion to those subtle little devils that steal the Word from our hearts—is by “continuing” (i.e. abiding) in His Word.  This is when we truly come to know the truth—the truth which makes us free.
 
A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE GOOD GROUND
Now if you recall, we have looked a little at Jesus’ Parable of the Sower throughout this series, and the key characteristic of one of the types of grounds (i.e. the wayside ground) is that it did not retain the seed that was sown into it.  So, you could say that the Word—the seed—did not “stay or remain” within this particular type of ground.  And if you look in Luke’s account at the one type of ground that actually produced fruit that remained (i.e. the good ground), you will see that this is one of the key characteristics of this type of ground—that the word “abided” within it:
Luke 8:15 says, “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”
So, notice that the good ground kept the seed that was sown into it. The words “keep it” come from the Greek word katecho which literally means “to hold down.”  So, to “keep” the Word that is sown into one’s heart is to “hold fast, possess or hold it”—not letting it get stolen out of our hearts.
Just think about this from the natural illustration that Jesus was using:  What do you think happens if a good seed is sown into good ground but the seed does not remain or stay in the ground for a sufficient period of time?  What if it either keeps getting dug up by the one who planted it or by a varmint?  You are not going to see any fruit, are you?  Well, this is the illustration Jesus is wanting to see “planted” (pun intended) in your heart.  
You see, the seed of God’s Word needs to have the time to “abide” in our hearts so that it has the sufficient time to germinate within us—putting its roots down before it begins to manifest in our lives.  
So, having this noble, good and patient heart—called good ground—is how one keeps the Word that was sown into it, and it is also what keeps those birds from stealing the Word out of our hearts.
You see, going back to the wayside ground, do you remember how Jesus described how the birds would eat up the seed that was sown on to this type of ground?  In fact, notice in Mark’s account that these birds of the air that devour the seed—the prince of the power of the air—come “immediately” to steal the Word that is sown in our hearts (see Mark 4:15).  In other words, they don’t wait for a few days after the root might start setting in our hearts; they devour those seeds quickly—when they are still lying on the ground and have not begun to take root.  
I’m telling you, church, this happens all of the time in the lives of those who come listen to God’s Word:  How many of you have ever come to a meeting, heard a good message, and then left, not being able to remember what the minister had said?  I’m sure we have all had that happen to us before.  Well, according to Jesus, that does not occur just because of mental or psychological reasons; there are spiritual entities involved in these things, and if our hearts are hardened, conformed to the world, etc., then the kingdom of darkness comes and steals those truths from our hearts.  Thus, we immediately forget what we’ve heard. 
CONTINUING IN THE MIRROR
Now a good parallel Scripture to this one in Mark 4:15 is found in James 1:22-25 where we are taught the importance of being a doer of the Word.  And I see this passage of Scripture as being the solution to keeping His Words with us after they are sown into us.  Yes, in this passage, James gave us a couple of good lessons regarding retaining the Word of God in our hearts.
Notice, first of all, how he likens us hearing the Word to looking at our physical face in a mirror and in verse 24, he describes the person who is not a “doer” as being like a person who observes himself in the mirror and, when he goes away, “immediately” forgets what kind of man he was observing.  So, do you see how the forgetting what we heard really occurs “immediately” just like the wayside ground “immediately” has the seed stolen that was sown on it?  So, this teaches us that one of the keys to retain what you heard is in having a heart to DO what you’ve heard (or, immediately apply the truth you heard).  So, let’s look at this passage in detail and see how one can keep from immediately forgetting the Word they have heard and having it abide within them:
In verses 22-24, James uses the analogy of a man looking into a mirror when describing how we hear the Word.  He says that a “hearer only” is like a person who looks into the mirror and sees what they really look like and then they leave and immediately forget what they saw (vs.24).   But then James gives us the remedy in verse 25.  He says, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work. This one will be blessed in what he does.”
The word “looks” comes from the Greek word parakupto (from para which means “right alongside of” and kupto which means to “to stoop down or bend over”).  So, this word literally means “to stoop down next to and to look intently.”  The word “into” comes from the Greek word eis and adds the meaning of “diligently stooping down next to and putting forth the effort to look intently into something.”  In fact, this Greek word parakupto was used in John 20:5&11 to describe the manner in which Jesus’ disciples looked into the tomb. You reckon you would have had undivided attention on what was in the tomb when you had been told that He wasn’t there any longer?  They were intently gazing into the tomb to find the Living Word as we should intently gaze into the Bible to find His Living Words—those precious nuggets that will change us forever.
Now, notice the phrase James used— “and continues in it.”  James is still teaching from the analogy of a man looking into a mirror.  So just as it is not enough to look into a mirror for a period of time in order to remember what we look like; it’s not enough to just have times where we intently study the Word or intently listen to a sermon and then disconnect from it.  No, we must take those words with us beyond the times that we initially heard them.
This phrase “continues in it” comes from the Greek word parameno. (This word is a compound word that comes from para which means “alongside of” and meno—the same word used for “abide” that we have been looking at—which means to “remain, stay, or abide.”)  This word literally means “to abide with”, “to stay alongside of”, or “to remain with.”  This is referring to the mirror we look into.  So, what James is saying here is to not ever leave the mirror that we looked into in the first place!  No, we must take the mirror with us and not leave it on our nightstand!  How do we do this because we can’t always be reading our Bible, nor can we take our preachers around with us everywhere we go?  The answer is that we can carry the Word that we’ve heard with us through our thinking faculties.  In other words, we can meditate on it day and night!
How can we keep our mind set on the Word?  We do it the same way we meditate on our problems all day.  This is one of the reasons why it is important to have time with the Lord in the morning, before you start your day, because you can carry it with you throughout the day.
So, according to this passage of Scripture, the main difference between the “doers” of the Word and the “hearers only” is that the “doers” never go away from the Word.  They take it with them!  They meditate on the Word day and night!  And when we learn to stay spiritually minded like this our thoughts begin to become established like concrete.
And James goes on to say in verse 25 that we will not be a forgetful hearer if our heart has predetermined to do what it has heard.  In other words, the person who immediately applies the Word to their life is the one who will not be a forgetful hearer.  This, of course, sounds like Luke’s description of the good ground because this person is showing respect for what they have heard.  Thus, the Word of truth will abide with them and in them, and they will certainly bear fruit.  
So how do you “keep” the mirror of God’s Word that you have looked into ever before you?  I love Hebrews 2:1—because I believe it shows us a very practical way to do this.  It says, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”
What this verse is saying is that once we have heard something already (and in this case, having already seen the light of it and received it into our heart), that is not the time to quit hearing it.  This is when, as the author of Hebrews writes, (now notice this terminology) “we must (the Greek word dei meaning that it is necessary or imperative) give the more earnest heed to (them)…”
So after we have heard and received something initially, we do not need to hear it less; we actually need to hear it more!  Amen!  We need to make mental notes, take actual notes, and make plans on how to apply the Word we have heard.  And this is how you keep it in the midst of your heart, where the devil cannot snatch it away.  This is how to keep the mirror with you at all times.
ARE YOU AN APOLLOS?
Now, finally, if you recall from last time, I mentioned that there are two other components that a seed / plant needs to bear fruit in the natural.  They need hydration and they need sunlight.  So, by understanding these things, I compared the “abiding in Him” that we learned about last time to abiding in the light—to where His manifest presence causes us to grow towards Him.  Well, I see this other phrase that we are looking at today— “My words abide in you” —as how the plants that produce the fruit we desire in our lives gets “watered.”  So, let me show you a couple of verses that use this same analogy to describe the process that God’s Word has in our lives.
Let me first draw your attention to a verse in First Corinthians 3:6 where the apostle Paul was countering the partisan spirit that had infiltrated the Church of Corinth.  Paul had heard about the division that had developed—some saying that they were “of Paul” and others that they were “of Apollos.”  So, he made the following statement in this verse: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”  So, we see here the very principle we have been camping on in this verse—the process of planting seed and how the harvest comes.
Now an important point to understand from this verse is that we—mankind—are not responsible for giving the increase.  That is God’s job.  We cannot bear fruit in and of ourselves, which is why Jesus said in our golden text that apart from Him, we can do nothing.  However, as we have learned in this series, even though we are not responsible for the harvest, we are responsible for the planting and the watering.
And notice how Paul describes himself as the one who planted and Apollos as the one who came behind him and watered.  Well, how did they do this?  Obviously, Paul planted the seed by being the apostle who went to this region and ministered the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.   In fact, we have this described in Acts chapter 18.  In Acts 18:11, we are told that Paul remained in Corinth for 18 months “teaching the Word of God among them.”  This occurred after they had heard the gospel, believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8).  In other words, Paul was the one who first preached the Word to them, discipled them in the Word, and planted this church.
But then there was a man named Apollos—one who Acts chapter 18 actually gives us some information about—who came behind Paul and watered the seed that the apostle Paul had planted.  So, how did Apollos water the seed that had already been sown.  Well, let’s look back in this chapter in Acts and learn a little more about this man named Apollos.
Acts 18:24-28 says, “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.  This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.  So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.  And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”
Notice how this Jew named Apollos was said to be an “eloquent man” and “mighty in the Scriptures.”  The reference to him being “eloquent” is likely a reference to his speaking ability.  Some translations describe him as being a “learned man.”  But notice that not only was he an eloquent speaker, he was also “mighty in the Scriptures.”  Wow!  Wouldn’t you like that to be said of you—that you are “mighty in the Scriptures”?  Amen!  It goes on to say that he himself had been “instructed in the way of the Lord” and that “he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.”  So, he instructed well which caused him to speak and teach the things of the Lord accurately.  However, there was a problem.  We are told that he knew only the baptism of John.  In other words, he had not yet been exposed to the teachings of Christ and the new and better covenant.  This is when Priscilla and Aquilla took him aside and “explained the way of God to him more accurately.”  But notice that he didn’t puff up and reject this new information that was explained to him like most people do.  No, he obviously received this more accurate view of the Scriptures because then, when he desired to go to cross over to Achaia (the region where the city of Corinth was located), that the brethren sent him a “letter of recommendation.”  And so, while Apollos was at Corinth—the city that Paul had already planted in—we are told he “greatly helped those who had believed (by Paul) through grace.”  Well, we know from First Corinthians 3:6 how he greatly helped them?  It was by watering them!
Well, how do you reckon Apollos watered the Church of Corinth based on what his M.O. was (i.e. method of operating)?  I can guarantee you that this Jew, who was mighty in the Scriptures to start with and now had his doctrine perfected by understanding the Gospel of Christ, was washing this church in the water of HIS WORD.  Amen?
So, we can see that in order to water with God’s Word, we are going to need to be an Apollos.  What do I mean by that?  I mean that we need to become grounded in the truth that we know and walk in the light that we do have like Apollos did.  You see, even though this dude didn’t know everything that he needed to know early in his ministry, he was still mighty in the Word and accurate in his teachings.  Then, when he was taught more accurately, he added his new revelation to what he already understood and became a powerhouse in the body of Christ as a teacher.
Now this certainly does not mean that the only way you are going to be able to water is by knowing a ton of Scriptures.  You can still water with the little you may know.  My point is that you just need to become “mighty and accurate” with what you do know and use that Word to water the seed in your life.
HOW TO WATER WITH THE WORD
Now the Bible gives us another reference to the Word being like water in Ephesians 5:26, when the apostle Paul was speaking to married couples and described how Jesus sanctified and cleansed His church with “the washing of water by the Word.”
What does this mean?  Well, it sounds similar to the verses we are covering in this series when Jesus said that the pruning / cleansing process that takes place in His disciples occurs through the Word.  In other words, that is how Jesus cleansed them was through his teachings.  Therefore, this “bath” that cleanses and sanctifies His church comes through the water of His Word!
However, I believe that Paul was showing the Church of Ephesus this, not just to show them how Jesus washes His church like this, but to show these husbands what they needed to be doing to and for their wives.  So, herein lies a great example as to how we do this washing with the Word:  Husbands, you can wash your wife with Scriptures.  And wives, this is not just for your husband:  You can wash your husband with Scriptures. (I have included an example at the end of this article that I gave to a woman who was seeking specific seed for her marriage.  But you can use this model and apply it to any area of your life that you desire fruit in.  Simply look up the Scriptures that apply to your situation and follow this pattern.)  
So, how do we do this?  Well, it is important to understand that the word used for “word” here is rhema--which describes the spoken, communicated and revealed Word.  Therefore, speaking the Word is how we wash with the Word.  
WATERING OUR NEW YEAR
Now let me give you a brief example of how you can do this in an area that we can all relate to right now—the new calendar year that we began this week.  You see, many people just hope and pray that God will bless them over the next 12 months, but why don’t we start planting the right seed and then water it and determine what our next 12 months are going to look like.  So, let me give you an example of how one might “water” their new year:
If you recall, the Lord gave our church a Word at the beginning of 2018 that He would crown our year with His goodness.  This was based on Psalm 65:11-13, which says, “You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance. They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing.”
Now in the preceding verses (vs. 9-10): David said, “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.”  So, there was a watering that took place here before the wonderful fruit contained in verses 11-13.  Likewise, there is a watering that must take place to see these promises come to pass in our lives!  
Interesting enough with us celebrating First-Fruits this week, this psalm is believed to be sung at the Harvest Festival at the end of their agricultural year!  In other words, it was the Jews’ psalm of praise for the First-Fruits!  
So, let me now give you an example of how to “water” your new year with these verses along with several others:
Father, I thank You that You are a God of new beginnings! You make old things to pass away and make all things new (Second Corinthians 5:17 & Revelation 21:5). And I thank You that you have promised in Isaiah 43:19 – “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” So, I receive that and declare that you will do a new thing in my life in this new year. It shall spring forth, and I shall know it! You are making a road in the wilderness and making rivers in the desert. Amen. These are the plans you have for me this year—plans of peace and not of evil, to give me a bright future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I thank you that every morning of this year will be filled with new mercies (Lamentations 3:22-23) and that you are crowning my year with Your goodness (Psalm 65:11). Yes, my path this year is dripping with abundance (Psalm 65:11) because You said that the path of the righteous is like the shining sun: it shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). So, I thank you that my path for 2019 is a path that gets brighter and brighter, better and better, and gooder and gooder. Amen!   
So what we have been covering today is what I believe to be the Lord “watering” our fields. Yes, we have been getting “washed in the water of the Word” and I am believing for a harvest of goodness in each of our lives for 2019. Amen and amen!    
 
 
 
 
 
 
HOW TO WATER YOUR MARRIAGE (FOR WIVES)
 
To encourage Yourself in the tough times:
Isaiah 54:5 – “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Lord, I rejoice in that truth that ultimately You are my husband! That is where my joy is found—that You are the best spouse I could ever hope for!
Psalm 27:10 (NLT): “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” Thank You, Lord, that even if those I love (including my spouse) abandons me, You will always be there to hold me close!
Ecclesiastes 4:9 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" Lord, I believe You have a good purpose for my marriage! It is good that we be together—for two are better than one! And I thank You that this is a benefit of my marriage, so we are getting a good return together, we are there to help each other, and we are keeping each other warm, on-fire for God! Amen! 
 
To deal with yourself and to do your part:
Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." God, I thank you that you have put in me the ability to help maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in my home! Thank You, Holy Spirit, that you help me to operate in humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance with my spouse.
Colossians 3:14 – “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." 1 Thessalonians 4:9 – “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.” (Also compare Titus 2:4) Lord, on top of that, you are teaching me how to put on love and love my spouse, and I do this in obedience to You, knowing that love never fails!
Romans 12:10 – “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” Father, I thank You that you have showed me my part. So, I will prefer my spouse even when they might not seem to be preferring me. But I thank You that as I sow honor, I will reap honor!
 
To sow good seed:
1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” Thank you, Lord, that if bad company corrupts good behavior, then good company can also create good behavior. So, I thank You that Christ in me is working in them!
1 Peter 3:1 – “In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over.” Lord, thank you that this is true, and my godly life is winning over my husband—not my words, but my holy behavior. As I walk in the light that I have, the light is working on them! (Men, this can apply to you as well if the roles are reversed)
1 Corinthians 7:14 (CEV) – “Your husband or wife who isn't a follower is made holy by having you as a partner. This also makes your children holy and keeps them from being unclean in God's sight.” Praise God, Your Word says that my spouse is made holy and sanctified by me. Thank You, Lord for constantly sanctifying them!

REVIEW
 
So, let’s quickly go back and review some of the things we have learned thus far:  We have spent the first four parts of this series essentially talking about the kingdom principle.  No, not a kingdom principle; the kingdom principle.  That’s right—we have learned that just as Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, there is one way, truth, and life of the kingdom—and that is seedtime & harvest.  And we have learned that everything in God’s kingdom operates according to this principle.
So, we have spent time studying other parables that Jesus taught where He illustrated what the kingdom of God is like and how it works.  We’ve looked at His Parable of the Growing Seed from Mark chapter four, and we saw from this the process of the kingdom.  Then we looked over at His Parable of the Sower and saw the basic building blocks of the kingdom by studying both what the seed and the soil are.  So, from all of this, we saw that the seed is the Word of God and the soil is the ground of our hearts.  Therefore, we learned that if we will just take the seed of God’s Word—the specific seed for the fruit we desire to see—and plant it in the good ground of our hearts, we will eventually see the fruit we desire.  Yes, we indeed can count on this because it is a law in God’s kingdom.  This is how we get a harvest every time!
Then last week, we answered the question:  How do we sow God’s Word?  And we saw that we sow the seed of God’s Word by saying the seed of God’s Word.  Yes, sowing is saying and saying is sowing.  So, we looked at another parable that Jesus taught in Mark chapter four—the Parable of the Mustard Seed—and we saw how from other Scriptures that Jesus taught us that if we have faith as a mustard seed, we will say something.  In other words, speaking the Word of God is how our faith works.  Therefore, it is imperative that not only do we become a Word person in terms of getting into God’s Word and believing it, but we also need to become a word person in regards to understanding the power that is in our tongue.
Church, these are all kingdom laws.  And this is why we can count on verses like John 15:7—because the Lord has taught us how to receive our desires that are in accordance with His will.  
But herein lies the mistake of most believers:  They never learn the process, they don’t know what the seed is, and they don’t discover where the soil is, much less how to cultivate that ground.  My point is—if we want to receive from God, then we best find out how He has set things up because it is not good enough to hope and pray that God comes through for us because, after all, He has the power and ability to do it.  No, just like we must learn how to function on this earth—respecting its laws like gravity, seedtime & harvest, etc.—we must also respect the laws (i.e. the principles) of the kingdom of heaven.  That is the only way we are going to live in the fullness of His blessing and bear much fruit.  Amen?
So, now that we have become established in the kingdom principle of seedtime & harvest—understanding the importance of the seed, the value of the soil, and how to sow that seed in the soil—there are a couple of other things that we need to understand that are also important in regards to fruit-bearing.  And those things are the plant getting sunlight, being watered, etc.    
So today, I want us to move into those two very important truths that Jesus gave us in John 15:7 that position us to receiving the desires of our heart and the fruit that glorifies God.  In fact, I see these two qualifications as being both the hydration and the sunlight that a plant requires for growth.  So, let’s look at this verse again and see how to remain in the light and be watered continuously:
Again, Jesus said in John 15:7— “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”     
Now what are the key verbs that Jesus uses here to describe how one of His branches will bear much fruit?  It is the word “abide.”  Yes, the two key components to seeing the fruit of the things we desire is abiding in Him and His word abiding in us.  In fact, this word “abide” is the key word in this entire parable.  So, what we need to do is camp on this word “abide” and truly come to know what it means and how Jesus was using it.  
Now again, we talked about how this passage in John 15:1-8 was a part of Jesus’ last words to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion.  And in these last words of exhortation, Jesus was preparing His disciples for His soon departure by telling them repeatedly that He was leaving them.  So here in John 15:1-8, Jesus was giving them an extremely important piece of information—to abide in Him.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ABIDE?
Now the word “abide” comes from the Greek word meno, which literally means to “stay, remain, live or dwell.”  So, when we hear this phrase “abiding in Him,” we need to think of “staying, remaining, living, or dwelling in Him.”
Let’s look at a few other New Testament Scriptures that use this same word meno in order to illustrate what it means to “abide”:

1. Mark 6:10— “And He said to them, ‘In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.’”
2. Luke 19:5— “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
3. Luke 24:29— “But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went into stay with them.”
4. Acts 16:15— “And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.”

So, in all of these instances and many more where the word meno is used, the idea of “staying, living, dwelling, and remaining” is being presented.  In fact, as you can see from these four examples that I have given you, the most common way that this word is used in the New Testament is to describe “staying in someone else’s home.” (This point will become important as we make the point of what abiding in Jesus truly means)
So, when Jesus told His disciples to “abide in Him” several times in John chapter 15, what did He mean?  What did He have in mind when He essentially told them to “Stay in Him, to not depart from Him, to remain, stay, live and dwell in Him, and don’t leave Him.”
You see, in order to correctly understand Scripture, you must meditate the Word correctly.  And one of the ways that you and I do this is by asking questions—like, for instance, who was Jesus talking to here and why would He be telling His disciples this?  These are important questions to ask, and if you ask them, it will bring more clarity.
You see, I used to assume that “abiding in Christ” was the same as those “in Him” and “in Christ” truths that the apostle Paul made popular in his epistles.  But just by asking those questions I just mentioned caused me to find out that this couldn’t be true.  Why?  It is because it wouldn’t have made any sense for Jesus to tell His disciples to be “in Him” like Paul was referring to because He hadn’t gone to the Cross yet and all of those “in Him” truths are spiritual realities that took place after Jesus’ resurrection.  Plus, by considering the meaning of the word “abide” we can see something specific Jesus was saying:  He was telling His disciples who had been with Him over the past three years, to remain with Him.  In other words, it was as if Jesus were saying, “Don’t leave the house that you have been staying in for the past three years.  Do not depart from it.  Continue to stay in this place.”
Now what have we learned here at HPC about the house of the Lord?  For example, when David said in Psalm 27:4 that his one desire was to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, what did he mean?  He didn’t mean he wanted to go to church every day; no, he was saying that he wanted to dwell (i.e. abide) in God’s presence all the days of his life.  This is essentially what Jesus was encouraging His disciples to do—to continue living in His house even though the house itself will be moving.  
You see, it needs to also be understood that the terminology Jesus used of abiding “in Him” can also mean to be “in the midst of someone” and not necessarily “inside” of them.  Now it can mean both, but the obvious meaning here in John chapter 15 is to be “in the midst” or “in the presence” of the Lord Jesus seeing that this is what His disciples had been experiencing for the past three years.
HOW COULD JESUS’ DISCIPLES STAY IN HIS PRESENCE?
So, the following question begs to be answered then:  How could they stay or remain in His presence when He was about to no longer be present with them?  That’s a good question, isn’t it?  
What Jesus was obviously instructing His disciples to do was to stay close and connected to Him.  Now what is interesting about this is that He was telling them this in the same breath as telling them He would soon be leaving them—obviously referring to His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God.  So, Jesus was letting His disciples know, in His last and (you could say) most vital words to them, that they must make sure that they stay in His presence—even though He would soon not be present with them. 
As we’ve seen, abiding in Him is what Jesus exhorted His disciples to do because He was about to leave them.  In other words, because they had been abiding in Him through His physical presence in their lives for the past three years, now He is telling them to remain in Him—especially in the wake of Him leaving.  So, in other words, He was telling them He would soon be leaving them, but for them not to leave Him.  Likewise, we too can see how we can obviously stay in His presence even if He is not physically present.  Amen!  This was what Jesus was teaching His disciples.
But we must come into this truth with this foundational understanding—that Jesus is always present with us.  Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).  Other Scriptures teach us that He will never leave us or forsake us and even describe Jesus walking in the midst of the church (Deuteronomy 31:6 & Revelation 2:1).
So, we need to understand that God is always present, but that does not mean that we are abiding in His presence.  There is a big difference between these two positions.  Sure, God is omnipresent—meaning He is everywhere, all the time.  But that does not mean that He is tangibly felt and experienced everywhere, all the time.
You see, there is a difference between the Lord being present in the spirit realm and being present in the physical realm.  And, oh, how there are so many benefits to Him being in the natural all around us!
This is such an important lesson for us, because with our tendency to be carnal, we want something tangible and want to “feel” something.  Jesus was exhorting His disciples in the wake of Him leaving them, to where there will be no more physical Jesus around anymore, to make sure they “remain in Him.”
STAYING CONNECTED
So, the Lord was exhorting His disciples then (and us as His disciples today) to stay in the midst of Him like He was still in their midst.  Amen.
And He uses the analogy of a vine and its branches to describe this principle of abiding.  So, what would be some words or phrases you would use to describe a branch “abiding in” a vine?  You might say, “a branch staying connected to the vine” or “a branch remaining attached to the vine.”
So, what if a branch did not stay connected to its trunk?  What if one day it was attached and then others, it was off doing its own thing?  What would become of that branch?  It might not completely lose its life, but it will never be able to produce its fruit.  Why?  Because as is with everything in life—being consistent is the key.  We cannot plant seeds one day and dig them up the next.  We cannot be connected to the Lord one day and then disconnected the next.  This is what Jesus was teaching them and us in this parable—being consistent, connected and attached to Him.
This is why Jesus went on to say in verse four— “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.”  In other words, unless we abide (remain, stay or dwell) in the vine, we cannot bear fruit.  Why?  Because we cannot bear fruit of ourselves.  We must stay connected to the vine so that the entire process of fruit production can transpire.
This is important in every area of life:  For example, when it comes to the healing of our bodies, we cannot bear the fruit of healing ourselves.  Healing, as any other fruit of our covenant relationship with the Lord, comes through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Every manifestation of God’s promises—barring special manifestations of the Spirit—is going to come through this process. 
WALKING WITH GOD BY FAITH
Now this describes the part faith has to play in this whole thing.  Did you know that you can have just as good of a relationship with the Lord by faith as you do by feelings, by sight, etc.  Faith has substance!  (Hebrews 11:1)!  So, when we make a decision that we are going to walk with Him by faith, we can have all the natural effects of walking with Him physically.  Amen!
Do you remember how God came down and was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8)?  This Scripture implies that this was not an uncommon occurrence.  Apparently, the Lord came to walk with Adam & Eve on a regular basis because we see how they were familiar with His sound walking in the Garden.  But then, when sin entered and they were banished from the Garden, a man named Enoch—being Adam’s great (x4) grandson—who was born outside of this Garden experience said, “I’m going to walk with God by faith!  
I like to imagine that what happened here was that Enoch heard about how his great, great, great, great Grandad, Adam, used to walk with God in the Garden.  Perhaps he went to see his great (x4) granddad and listen to him tell stories of what it was like to walk with God (Adam was still alive during Enoch’s lifetime, living for 930 years).  So, this stirred Enoch up!  Therefore, he determined that he was going to walk with God just like his great (x4) granddaddy did.  But the difference was that he was going to have to do it by faith—which he obviously did successfully.    
Now while we do not know if this is exactly what happened, what we do know is that Enoch indeed walked with his God by faith.  We know this because Hebrews 11:5 says that Enoch was translated because He had this testimony—that He pleased God, which was because He did this “By faith.”  Then verse 6 goes on to echo this truth by saying that faith is how one pleases God.   And that Scripture in Genesis says that He walked with God (see Genesis 5:24).  That’s all it told us.  So, we can see that what Enoch did that pleased God so much was He walked with Him by faith.  Not because God physically walked with him in the cool of the day, but simply because he chose to walk with Him by faith.  So, this excited God so much, that He just had to take Him a little early.
And this is exactly what we, as Christ’s disciples, are called to do—to walk with Him by faith and abide in His presence all the days of our lives.  This is how we can please our Lord and Savior the most—by abiding in His house every day. Along this line, let me encourage you to not waste your trials - they are opportunities to please God by “seeing by faith” the resolution of that trial while you are still in it.
HOW DO WE ABIDE IN HIM?
Now that leads me to the practical part of this message.  Since we are called to walk with Him by faith, the obvious question we should be asking is—How do we abide in Him?  In other words, how do we practically stay, remain, live and dwell in His manifest presence like He has told us to?
Well, let me recount to you something that the Lord told me before along these lines:  The Lord opened my eyes to this truth that we have been studying several years back concerning the importance of abiding in the Lord.  You see, I saw vividly how “apart from Him we can do nothing.”  Therefore, I saw how important it was that we indeed do learn how to abide in Him because He is our source for any and all fruit we desire to produce.
Now I had obviously experienced this connection with the Lord to a degree at various times during my life as we all probably have.  But what I had failed to experience was a consistent and continual abiding in Him that Jesus was talking about here in John chapter 15.
Well, this prompted me to hunger and thirst for this abiding relationship with the Lord.  So, one day, I was asking the Lord to teach me to continually abide in Him. I was saying, “Lord show me how to consistently abide! Teach me to continually abide in You!” and as I had intended on these words to come out of my mouth, I uttered a different prayer that by passed my understanding.  Instead, the words of my prayer turned into— “Lord, let your praise be continually in my mouth!”
Now this was obviously a Holy Spirit inspired prayer because I was not thinking this in any way, shape or form.  Then the Lord revealed to me that this was how we continually abide in Him—by His praise being continually in our mouth.  Amen!  In other words, the way we continually abide in His manifest presence is by His praise being continually in our mouth.  Amen!
The obvious Scripture that the Lord was leading me to pray was from Psalm 34:1 that says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  And you have to know that the Lord, would not give us directions like this unless it benefited us in some way.  Why?  Because He is a God of love, and love is always seeking the welfare and benefit of someone else.
You see, God does not seek praise and worship because He is some glory hunter that just can’t get enough of everyone telling Him how great and wonderful He is.  No, the Lord gives us repeated instructions to praise & worship Him because He is trying to get something to us, not just something through us.  In other words, He knows how much our continually praising and worshiping Him ministers to us.
And so, what He was teaching me is that one of the greatest benefits of us learning to bless the Lord at all times is that we will abide in Him.  Now this should be rather obvious to us because of all the Scriptures that teach us how God inhabits the praises of His people and how worship draws us into the holy of holies.
You see, our feelings and experiences are directly tied to our thoughts and focus.  So, when we fix our eyes on Him—His greatness, glory and power—we begin to sense, become aware of, and feel His tangible presence.  In other words, it begins to affect our surroundings.  Amen!  
We see this clearly illustrated in Philippians chapter four:  In verses 4-8, we see the apostle Paul giving us some clear instructions that range from rejoicing always to thinking only on things that are praiseworthy.  But then he goes on to give us one of the primary benefits to applying these things to our lives. 
Notice how in Philippians 4:9 the Apostle Paul says, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Now, first of all, what does Paul mean when he said that the God of peace will be with us?  Didn’t the Lord promise to never leave us nor forsake us?  Didn’t He promise that He would be with us, even to the end of the world?  He sure did!  So, what does Paul mean when he said that God will be with us if we do the things that He taught and walked out in his life?  That seems contrary to these other Scriptures that teach us that we don’t have to do anything to keep God with us.
But we must understand that there is a big difference between God being with us spiritually (i.e. as pertaining to the spirit realm) and Him being with us physically (i.e. tangibly in the natural realm around us).  God most certainly is with us all the time positionally, but we also have the ability to have Him be manifested in our lives in an experiential and tangible way.
But we need to understand that this physical experience of Him is not automatic. That is easy to see.  Few believers consistently carry the presence of the Lord around with them.  But this is a blessed place to live—where His presence is experienced, felt, and tasted.  Amen!
But the Apostle of faith had a specific fruit of God’s tangible presence in mind here.  Mind you, the context here of all that he was teaching revolved around peace.  So, it can be surmised that he is concluding his instructions on walking in the peace of God by saying “the God of peace will be with you!”
So, again, why did he call God, “the God of peace” here?  It was because the subject up to this point in Philippians chapter four is the peace of God.  Now here is a powerful truth:  The fruit of having the God of peace manifested in our lives is having the peace of God manifested in our lives!  In other words, when we have the God of peace in our lives, we have the peace of God in our lives.  When we have peace, we’ve experienced a piece of God.  Hallelujah!  That is what the Holy Spirit had in mind as He inspired this truth to be recorded!
In other words, the example that Paul gave through his words and deeds is how we can experience more of the God of peace in our lives which in turn causes us to experience more of the peace of God in our lives.  Peace is the manifest presence of the God of peace.
You see, peace is the manifest presence of God.  This is why time spent in the presence of God is so important!  Strife is the manifest presence of the devil.  But when you have the peace of God all around you, it is proof that you have God all around you.  Fear and strife is the devil personified. Love, joy and peace is the Lord personified! 
So, herein lies a great way to know when you are walking in the experiential, tangible presence of the Prince of Peace—you will walk in His peace.
So, if Paul said that all we need to do to experience the peace of God in our lives is follow his example and his teachings, what is it that we need to follow?  Well, what did he say in verse 9 again? “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and…”
So, the key to experiencing the manifest presence of the God of peace in our lives—which results in us walking in the peace of God—is “doing” these four things in Philippians 4:4-8.  And, church, that is what all of this boils down to—being doers of these truths.  Deliberately, rejoicing in the Lord always.  Purposefully, not being anxious about anything and taking everything to Him in prayer.  Intentionally, thinking on these things.  If we keep our attention on Him through these things, we can expect the manifest presence of Jesus to go with us everywhere we go.  Amen.
You know, the Scriptures teach us very clearly that walking in peace is directly related to our minds.  Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.”
Now when you see the words “perfect peace” it is actually, in the Hebrew, “shalom, shalom.”  So instead of translating this verse as “peace, peace,” they just needed to add the emphasis that was being made—thus the translation of the words as “perfect peace.”  So, we are talking about some major league peace here—not just peace, but peace upon peace.
You could say that we are talking about what the Apostle Paul described in Philippians 4:7, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!  This is perfect peace—the peace that surpasses all understanding!  Amen!
But another good point to make here is that, as Paul said in Philippians 4:7, this peace which surpasses all understanding, will guard (or, keep) our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  And doesn’t Isaiah 26:3 say that He will “keep” us in perfect peace when our mind is stayed on Him?  It sure does!  So, what we see here is that when we keep our minds stayed on Him, He will keep us in absolute peace!  Glory to God!
Romans 8:6 teaches us this same principle:  In it, Paul says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
The Apostle Paul had just gotten done in verse 5 saying that those live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  In other words, where the mind goes the man will follow.  Our outward lives are a reflection of the way we think.  This is why I like to say (like the world says that we are what we eat) spiritually speaking, we are what we think!  Amen!
But what Paul is referring to here is the “setting of one’s mind” on fleshly things or spiritual things.  The phrase “set their minds on” comes from the Greek word “phroneo” and means “to regard or be mindful.”  It describes where our interests lie—what we entertain and how we are directing our mind.
ABIDING IN THE LIGHT
So, in conclusion, this walking with the presence of the Prince of Peace is simply another way of describing “walking in the light.”  Now I made reference earlier that just as we must have seed, good soil, and the knowledge of how to sow the seed into the soil, we also need to have sunlight and water to continue the growth process of the plant.  Well, I see abiding in Him as the keeping ourselves in the SON-LIGHT.  Let me explain:
Doesn’t the Bible teach us that God’s very presence is the LIGHT?  1 John 1:5 says, “…God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” James 1:17 also describes Him as “…the Father of light with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning.”  So, we can clearly see because of the light 😊 of these two passages of Scripture that God’s very presence is light.
So here is my point:  Just as the “Sun” is the source of energy of the plants, the “Son” is the author of life itself and He is the only One who enables us to grow to maturity.  In fact, just as plants grow closer to the light that is shining on them, so also, when we spend time in His presence, we will grow towards His image and likeness.
You see, all of this goes back to the saying- “You become like who you are around.” In other words, who you fellowship with will determine the fruit you have. We need to “hang out” with Jesus in order to be like Him because we will adapt to the environment that we are placed in.
Therefore, we must spend time in God’s presence if the seed inside of us is ever going to grow.  This is why I stress the importance of having a relationship with God.  We can go to church, be around other believers, and even hear good sermons and never grow.  It is not until we start spending alone time with God—worshipping and fellowshipping—that we are capable of growing towards Him.
Church, this is how we position ourselves to walk with God—by putting our attention on Him.  If we can train ourselves to continuously praise Him and to set our mind on Him, we can pull into this physical realm what is always a reality in the spiritual realm.  This is abiding in Him.  Even when we cannot see Him, we can be with Him.  Let’s stay in His house—that is, in His presence.  This should be our one desire as it was with King David—that we would dwell in His house (i.e. His presence) all the days of our life (see Psalm 27:4)—never leaving Him or forsaking Him. And when we abide in His secret place, there are a myriad of benefits including peace, protection and provision.  And according to John 15:7, we will begin to see the fruit of the things we have desired of the Lord.  Amen.