1. SENT: Abide, Dwell, Remain

4. John 15:1-11 1 1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 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.

6. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

7. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

8. Abide - to abide, to remain, to dwell, to endure, to tarry; To continue to be present!

9. Colossians 2:6-8 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

10. How do YOU abide in Jesus? How do YOU abide in His love?

11. Here are some of the things which I do to ABIDE, to REMAIN, to DWELL, to ENDURE, to TARRY, to CONTINUE TO BE PRESENT WITH GOD!

12. In accordance with Hebrews 11:6, I believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

13. I must be willing to receive His love and to have the desire to learn how to love Him back!

14. In accordance with 2 Cor. 5:7, I must learn to walk and to live by faith because my relationship with God is by faith.

15. I must establish myself in and abide in the Word of God.

16. I must be continually growing and learning how to CONNECT with God in PRAYER!

17. I must be continually growing and learning how to CONNECT with God in WORSHIP, both corporately and privately.

18. I want to learn how to constantly live with an awareness of God’s presence.

19. One of the key things that we need to know is that we don’t just accidently abide in God. It takes a focused, diligent strategy and effort!

20. What is your strategy? How diligent has your effort been in recent days and weeks?

21. One of the KEY POINTS of this sermon is that we cannot be effectively SENT if we do not know how to ABIDE!

22. One of the things I really want you to hear from me and from the Lord today is that every one of us – EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US – is SENT when we leave from this church each Sunday.

23. We cannot truly RE-PRESENT JESUS if we do not know how to ABIDE IN HIM & IN HIS LOVE, and to have HIS LOVE, HIS WORD, and HIS PRESENCE ABIDING IN US!