Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Abiding in Christ

According to the American Film Institute, it’s the 11th greatest movie line in the history of film- making.  It comes from the 1967 classic starring Paul Newman, “Cool Hand Luke.”

The prison warden (Strother Martin) says to his prisoner Luke (Paul Newman):  “You gonna get used to wearing them chains after awhile, Luke.  Don’t you ever stop listening to them clinking, ‘cause they gonna remind you what I been saying for your own good.”

Luke replies: “I wish you’d stop being so good to me Cap’n.” 

“Captain” says:  “Don’t you ever talk that way to me.  (He pauses then hits Luke.)  Never!  Never!”  (Luke rolls down the hill to where all the other prisoners are standing.)  The captain continues:  “WHAT WE’VE GOT HERE IS FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. Some men you just can’t reach…”

It’s a great line.  It applies in so many contexts, including the Gospel.  It’s hard to imagine that so many Christians fail to appreciate the lengths to which Jesus goes to explain the nature of spiritual life. 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses two primary images to describe new life in Christ.  In John 3 He’s speaking to a teacher of Israel when He says, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”  Twelve chapters later He’s speaking to His disciples and He says, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  In both images it’s God who does the “birthing”, it’s God who does the “germinating and growing”, not men and women; and yet so many of us wish to make it a cooperative effort.  Indeed, few places in the Scriptures are Jesus’ words more twisted to support this fiction than John 15.  For years the words of John 15:1-11 have been used as a warning rather than a comfort.  Abiding in Christ is seen as a work of human faithfulness and discipline.  This week we are going to take another look at these famous words, lay our prejudices aside, and try to avoid a failure to communicate.  Before giving you some things to contemplate in preparation for Sunday’s message, I find Charles Spurgeon’s remarks on John 15:9 to be particularly instructive in establishing a proper context for our study.

Spurgeon writes:

“The Father loves the Son in the same manner that Jesus loves His people.  What is that divine method?  He loved Him without beginning, and this Jesus loves His members.  “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”  You can trace the beginning of human affection.  You can easily find the beginning of your love to Christ; but His love to us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity.  God the Father loves Jesus without any change.  Christian, take comfort in this, there is no change in Jesus Christ’s love to those who also rest in Him.  Yesterday you were on the mountaintop and you said, ‘He loves me’; today you are in the valley of humiliation, but He loves you still the same…the Father loves the Son without any end, and in the same way the Son loves His people.  Saint, you need not fear the loosing of the silver cord, for His love for you will never cease.  Rest confident that even down to the grave Christ will go with you, and that up again from it He will be your guide to the celestial hills.  Moreover, the Father loves the Son without any measure, and this is the same immeasurable love the Son bestows upon His chosen ones.  The whole heart of Christ is dedicated to His people.  He ‘loved us and gave Himself for us.’  His is a love which passes knowledge.  Ah, we have indeed an immutable Savior, a precious Savior, one who loves without measure, without change, without beginning, and without end, even as the Father loves Him!”

1.      How do you explain the connection between John13:36-38 and 14:1-7?

2.      How do you explain the connection between John 13, 14, and 15?

3.      How does the comfort of John 14 square with Jesus’ message in today’s text – John 15:1-11?

4.      How does the word “abide” or “remain” express God’s character, rather than our doing?

5.      What does Jesus mean in verse 2?  Is this a comfort or a stressor?

6.      What does the word airo - “cut off” (NIV) or “takes up” (ESV) - really mean?

7.      What does “bearing fruit” mean?

8.      What is the connection between Jesus’ words in verse 5 and Paul’s words in Galatians 5?

9.      What is the “action step” that Jesus offers His disciples in this text?

10.  What connections do you draw between John 3:1-7 and John 15:1-11?

See you Sunday.