Remaining in Jesus

I. Remaining in Jesus means to intentionally stay connected to

Jesus—like branches connected to a vine (John 15:1-6).

A. It’s amazing how many people stay “kind of” connected to God. Today
we are talking about experiencing a full connection with God.
B. Many people are not aware of how God prunes His people to their
advantage (John 15:2; James 1:2-8).

II. To remain in Jesus is to remain in His supernatural love and obey

His commands (John 15:7-13).

A. There is much joy in receiving God’s love (John 15:9-11). “We love
because He first loved us” (I John 4:19). Love, as an experience, is to be
at the forefront of our experience with Jesus, the vine (Ephesians 3:14-
19).
B. Obeying God’s commands is not burdensome when we remain in God’s
love (I John 5:1-3) (E.g., Bilquis’ Sheik).

III. Other dimensions of remaining (abiding) in Jesus

A. Remaining in prayer is very closely connected to knowing God’s words

and promises (John 15:7, 8, 15, 16; Luke 18:1-8).
B. Remaining in the church—Christ’s body (Ephesians 4:7-16; Matthew
18:18-19)
C. Remaining in faith—“Don’t throw away your confidence” (Hebrews
10:34-39; 11:6).
D. Remaining in communion with God
1. King David lived in the stronghold of confession, prayer, and worship
(Psalm 27:1-8, 13-14; II Samuel 12:13-25; I John 1:5-10).
2. However, David did not have the communion we experience in the
light of the Cross.
E. Remaining in the supernatural power of God (Matthew 10:7-8).
1. Persistence and consistency are necessary if you want to fish for
people (Matthew 4:19).
2. If we sow, we will reap a harvest (Galatians 6:7-9; Ecclesiastes 11:4-
6).

Mike Hudgins
February 23 & 24, 2019