This Sunday, we are wrapping up our “Better Together” sermon series and will be talking about what it means to abide in Christ.
Do you feel like your Christian life is withering? Are you producing fruit? How do you know? If someone was to know the ‘real you,’ what would they discover? What are the signs of being in an authentic relationship with Jesus?
The secret to a joy filled life is abiding in Christ. J.I. Packer says, “This means that we need to always be resting on Him, anchored to Him, fixed in Him, drawing from Him, continually connected and in touch with him. Abiding in Christ brings peace, joy and love, answers to prayer, and fruitfulness in service. God’s perfect Fatherhood implies constant love, thoughtful care, powerful protection, ongoing instruction, wise guidance, and a nurturing strategy that prepares us to be at home with Him and Jesus in heaven forever. Coming to Him and knowing Him means going beyond awareness of His reality to enter the fullness of this relationship.”
When we abide in Jesus, we learn to love others well despite all the brokenness in us and all around us. When we produce fruit, our marriages, parenting, and relationships get healthier. We move from withering to generating inward and outward reflections of Christ to others. As you will see, we need to invite the Spirit of God to move in our hearts and live a life of obedience. When we do so, we experience authentic transformation in our relationships and in our community. Jesus is calling us to abide in Him, and when we do so, we are better together!
