I. AND NOW LITTLE CHILDREN, ABIDE IN HIM.
A. This is the main message of the Holy Spirit to us, verse 27.
B. This is the secret of a victorious Christian life.
1. I believe that failure to live an overcoming life can be traced to a person not abiding in Christ.
C. This is the great mystery of past ages that was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets or saints, "Christ in you the hope of glory."
1. God, the eternal creator of all things has chosen to dwell in me, what an awesome thought.
2. Jesus said, "In that day you will know that I am in My Father and you are in Me, and I am in you."
D. The results of this relationship.
1. We begin to bear spiritual fruit.
JOH 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
2. We enter into new dimensions in our prayer life.
JOH 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
3. We are made perfect in Him.
JOH 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
4. We become dead to the things of the flesh and alive unto God.
ROM 8:10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.
5. I now live my life unto Him.
GAL 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
6. I begin to comprehend the vastness of God's love.
EPH 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
EPH 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
EPH 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
7. We walk as He walked.
1JO 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
E. This is a position of faith.
GAL 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
EPH 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
F. If Christ is not abiding in you...
1. Then you are considered a reprobate.
2CO 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
2. Like a withered branch you will be gathered to be burned.
JOH 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.
II. WHEN HE SHALL APPEAR.
A. Our Lord is going to appear for His saints.
HEB 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
1. He promised His disciples that He would come and get them.
JOH 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
JOH 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.
2. We shall be caught up to be with Him in heaven.
1TH 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1TH 4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
3. This event will take place in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye.
1CO 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1CO 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1CO 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.
4. In Revelation chapter 4 the Lord shows to John the things that will take place in heaven after the church has finished it's testimony on the earth.
REV 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
REV 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.
REV 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
REV 4:4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
REV 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
REV 4:6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
REV 4:7 And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle.
REV 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
REV 4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
REV 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
REV 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
REV 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
REV 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
REV 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
REV 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
REV 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
REV 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
REV 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
REV 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of
REV 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
REV 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
B. At His second coming He shall then appear with His saints.
COL 3:4 When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
1. It is at this time every eye shall see Him. You remember His first appearing is to them that are looking for Him.
REV 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
MAT 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
ZEC 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.
III. WHAT IS MEANT BY "NOT BE ASHAMED BEFORE HIM AT HIS COMING?"
A. When Jesus comes for His church we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
ROM 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
2CO 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.
1CO 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
HEB 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
ROM 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
B. We have the parable of Jesus of the day when He shall demand an accounting by His servants of the things entrusted to them.
LUK 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
LUK 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
LUK 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this [man] to reign over us.
LUK 19:15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
LUK 19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
LUK 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
LUK 19:18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
LUK 19:19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
LUK 19:20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, [here is] thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
LUK 19:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
LUK 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
LUK 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
LUK 19:24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give [it] to him that hath ten pounds.
LUK 19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
LUK 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
LUK 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me.
C. When you stand before Jesus in that day of judgment, when all of your works have been tried by fire, and you will then be rewarded for what you have done for Him, will you be ashamed?
1. Peter speaks of an abundant entry into the kingdom of God. Will your entry be abundant?
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
