Abide In Christ #1 (2025.08.17)
Scott Keffer shares Dr. John MacArthur's discussion to begin a series on “Abiding in Christ,” focusing on Jesus’ teaching in John 15. The discussion starts with a relatable illustration from a visit to Niagara’s vineyards, connecting the care of vines to the biblical metaphor of Christ as the true vine and believers as branches. Dr. MacArthur describes various biblical analogies for the relationship between Christ and believers—such as sheep and shepherd, child and father, body and head—emphasizing how each one reveals different facets of what it means to truly belong to Christ.
The episode clarifies the oft-used phrase “personal relationship with Jesus,” contending that a real relationship with Christ goes beyond superficial attachment, as illustrated by the contrast between Judas and the other apostles during the Last Supper. Abiding in Christ means more than external association; it is defined by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit truly dwelling within the believer, a reality supported by numerous scripture references. The speakers also highlight the importance of continuing in faith and obedience, not out of fear of being “cut off,” but recognizing fruitfulness comes from the life of Christ flowing through the believer.
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Key Topics Discussed:
- The biblical metaphor of abiding in Christ from John 15
- Differences between superficial and genuine attachment to Christ
- Scriptural analogies for the believer’s relationship with God (sheep, child, subject, body, branch)
- The significance of God living within the believer
- Perseverance and signs of true faith
- The role and meaning of fruitfulness in the Christian life
- Assurance of salvation versus anxiety over “falling away”
- The practical outworking of abiding in everyday living
Transcript
Hi.
Scott Keffer [:If you're looking for greater hope, assurance and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show Notes and download the blank Insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website@beholdingbibletruth.com and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.
Scott Keffer [:Well, when we visited Niagara on the lake, which is on the Canadian side of the Falls, stayed up there, I think for a week in 19. We stayed up there in 2012. The reason I remember it, it was there, it started there, fourth of July. I didn't know this. I remember there was a, The War of 1812 is really their independence day. And so we kind of learned all about that. And as we toured some of the wineries, the story of bringing the, you know, the vines over from Europe and planting them in the area and all that they do to grow the plants and, you know, the care that's required on them. And it just gave me a new sense.
Scott Keffer [:In the vine, you, the branches you advise in me and I him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. And I'm amazed. In Scripture, there are a lot of different pictures of our relationship with Christ. And here's a physical one and each one has a different component of the relationship. And this had the idea, I kept thinking about that. Could you see a piece that was broken off and laying on the ground? It not only had no fruit, it was dead. Right. But it, it shows the vitalness of that connection because literally vitality is, is brought to the branches from the vine.
Scott Keffer [:No, no, no vine, no branches. Right. No vitality. The vital nature. So we're going to look at, for the next number of weeks, abiding in Christ. What does that, what does that mean? We're going to go through a series with Dr. John MacArthur. We're going to talk about abiding in Christ.
Scott Keffer [:And then we're going to look at the keys to enduring the keys, to persevering the keys from there. So we're going to look at abiding in Christ. So let's read this. If we could, our scripture, you would stand with me. I'm the true vine and my Father is the vine.
Scott Keffer [:Christ.
Scott Keffer [:Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, you take it away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I'm divine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can't do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he's thrown away as a branch and dries up.
Scott Keffer [:And they gather them and cast into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, my words abide in you. Ask whatever you wish and shall be done for you by this. Is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. The this as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
Scott Keffer [:These things I've spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. These things I have spoken to you. That my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. This sounds like it might be important. Full joy. Who wants full joy? All right, let's see if I can blow up the computer again.
Dr. John MacArthur [:It may be how you view the distinction between. Open your Bible now to the 15th chapter of John. John chapter. It is pretty popular to refer to one's relationship to Jesus as a personal relationship. That seems to be kind of a contemporary common evangelical vernacular. In fact, it may be how you view the distinction between some kind of nominal Christian and a genuine Christian. You might say to someone, well, you may go to church and you may carry out some of the ordinances, but do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? That's pretty common language. In fact, that has become sort of the typical approach to people.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? I just want to kind of qualify that if I can for a moment. Every human who has ever lived has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And for most of them, it's not a good one. It's a relationship between one who is judged and the judge. Jesus knows every human being personally and intimately. Every thought they've ever had every word they've ever spoken, every deed they've ever done, every relationship they were ever engaged in. All of that is on record in heaven. And on the basis of that will come eternal judgment.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Because. Because apart from believing in him, the record of their thoughts and motives and words and deeds and relationships only consigns them to eternal hell. It is very personal. Every person will be judged on a personal, individual basis by the judge who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe there would be a better way then to refer to the legitimacy of a genuine relationship to Christ than to say, do you have a personal relationship with Him? I understand what you mean by that, but we need to go beyond that. And that is not a biblical term. You're not going to find that kind of phrase used in Scripture. But it then poses the question, what is the true nature of a Christian's relationship to Christ? What is the true nature of a Christian's relationship to Christ? How do we understand the spiritual reality of our union with God? Our union with Christ? How do we understand that? The Bible helps us by giving us a series of analogies.
Dr. John MacArthur [:The Bible refers to the relationship between a believer and the Lord as the relationship of a sheep to a shepherd. The Bible also refers to that relationship as the relationship between a child and a father, between a subject and a king, between a slave and a master. And it even refers to that relationship as the relationship between a body and its head. And Scripture delineates these things. In particular, the New Testament focuses on the body metaphor, but all the others appear both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and they all convey some aspect of our relationship to the Lord. A shared life, shared characteristics, sovereign power, control, direction, obedience, provision, protection, feeding. All of those things are bound up in those metaphors now before us Today in the 15th chapter of John is another of those very instructive metaphors, pictures, images, so that we can define our relationship to Jesus Christ in biblical terminology. And it is the relationship between branches and a vine.
Dr. John MacArthur [:I want you to go back to chapter 15. I'm going to read verses one through 11, even though we've already covered the first three verses. That was a few weeks ago. And I want to make it all clear in your mind. Chapter 15, verse 1. Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
Dr. John MacArthur [:You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. And they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
Dr. John MacArthur [:My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Abide in my love. 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. These things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. 10 times. In those verses that I read to you, really starting in verse four, you see the word abide. So we're talking about what it is to abide in Christ.
Dr. John MacArthur [:To abide in Christ. That's a familiar term to people who've been Christians for a long time. It's a term that has been much used. It has been. It has been given lots of spiritual connotations. But we're going to dig down into this text and find out precisely what our Lord intends to say by this. But let's back up to the opening three verses and sort of set the scene. There are four identities here.
Dr. John MacArthur [:There is a vine, there is a vinedresser, and there are two kinds of branches. There's no mystery about who is the vine. Our Lord Jesus says, I am the true vine. Verse 1. And again in verse 5, there is no question about who is the vinedresser, the one who cares for the vine and its branches. Verse 1. My Father is the vinedresser. This is about God, through Christ, working with people.
Dr. John MacArthur [:The question is about the branches. And in verse five, our Lord said, you are the branches. He was talking essentially to his apostles. You are the branches. But there are two kinds of branches. There are branches that abide and produce fruit, and there are branches that do not abide, do not produce fruit, are cut off, dried up and burned. The question is, how are we to understand these branches? Who are the fruitless branches mentioned in verse 2? The branch that doesn't bear fruit. And then in Verse six, the one that is thrown away, dried up, gathered, cast into the fire and burned.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Who are the fruitless branches? And then the other, who are the fruitful branches who bear the fruit? Verse 2, verse 5, verse 8. Who are they? Well, let me recreate for you the context. The context is very simple. Context. This isn't our Lord among many people. This isn't our Lord in the midst of the crowd when he says you, he's directing his words at the 12. In fact, in particular at this point, he's directing his words at the 11 remaining Judas having been dismissed. Now, where are we in the life of our lord? In John 15, it's Thursday night in the upper room, celebrating the Passover with his disciples the night before he is crucified.
Dr. John MacArthur [:And on that night he gives many promises to his disciples. They start in chapter 13, run all the way through chapter 16. Then in chapter 17, he prays a prayer to the Father that the Father will fulfill all the promises he's made in those previous chapters. It's a significant, really an incomparable, unparalleled section of scripture. Nothing like it anywhere in the Bible because it's loaded with promises to our Lord's people. That means us. Now, as he comes to chapter 15, the drama of Judas has already taken place. Judas has been exposed.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Satan has entered Judas, that's what the text says. And Judas has left, dismissed by the Lord. He has gone to set out the details for the betrayal of Jesus, the arrest of Jesus in the middle of the night, which leads to the execution of Jesus on the cross. The next day. The 11 are left. One has defected. It is a massive defection. Judas is the branch that doesn't stay.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Judas is the branch that doesn't remain. Judas is the branch that doesn't abide. Now, in all honesty, if you looked at the 12 apostles up to this point and somebody told you there is one of them that is fruitless, that produces nothing, that is going to be cut off, withered, burned. Who is it? If you were just looking at the behavior of the 12, you might assume it could be possibly Peter. Peter seemed to stumble more than the rest. At least there's more revelation about his stumblings than anybody else. Peter seems to have a kind of dominating self confidence that makes him tell the Lord the Lord's not going to do things that he says he's going to do. Peter overstates his affection, overstates his strength, overstates his commitment.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Could it be that Peter is the one who is the fruitless branch? The point Being you wouldn't have necessarily picked out any of the others. It was Judas all along. But from the superficial viewpoint, even of the other 11, they all said when this was announced, is it I? Is it I? Is it I? There was nothing about Judas that manifested the fact that he was fruitless and headed for hell. But that's how it is with some branches, because perceivably they are attached. Judas was attached visibly to Jesus. It was a superficial attachment. It was an attachment with no life. And that became obvious when he no longer was abiding in Christ.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Now this is a very common reality and I think you know it today. You know there are people in the church with us this morning who are fruitless branches, who are here who make some profession of interest in Christ to one degree or another, but their lives do not manifest his power and his life. You know that. And you can go from here, the microcosm to the macrocosm of other churches and denominations and fellowships to the church at large. And you know that Christianity is this massive kind of reality in the world that is filled with all kinds of people, many of whom have no genuine fruit bearing power. This is a concern of our Lord. Go back to John, chapter two. Do you remember in chapter two, verse 23, he was in Jerusalem at the passover and during the feast he was doing all kinds of signs, wonders, miracles.
Dr. John MacArthur [:And it says in verse 23, many believed in his name. That sounds hopeful, it sounds good. But Jesus, verse 24 on his part, was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew all men. And because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for he himself knew what was in man. He knew it was a false faith. He knew it was a superficial faith. They believed in him, but only superficially at that point. One of those men, one of those superficial interested sort of quasi believers, was a man named Nicodemus, who then poses questions to him in chapter three, who later came to be a true follower.
Dr. John MacArthur [:But there were lots of superficial followers of Jesus, lots of those who were attached to outwardly. Go to chapter six at the point where Jesus does this massive miracle, feeding as many as 20 to 25,000 people by creating food. This is a wonder that is inescapable as an act of God. And there were many followers that Jesus drew up to this point and from this event. But in verse 66, Jesus was speaking and in response to the words he said, not the miracles he did, but the words he said, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. They left. They did not abide. They did not remain.
Dr. John MacArthur [:They did not stay. So Jesus said to the 12, you do not want to go away also, do you? Simon Peter answered him, lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God. And yet Jesus answered, did I myself not choose you, the 12? And one of you is the devil? Now he meant Judas, who was going to betray him there in their own midst. Not only were there many who defected openly, but there was Judas, whose defection had not yet happened. In the eighth chapter and verse 30, as he spoke again, many came to believe in him. Many make some kind of profession that allows for some kind of attachment to Jesus, to which he responded. Verse 31.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed in him, if you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine. Mathetes ale thos. Genuine students, genuine learners, genuine disciples. And then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. They hadn't yet come to know the truth. They hadn't been set free from the search for the truth and from the bondage of sin. Whether or not they were true disciples would be manifest because they would continue to obey His Word. There were many superficial followers who defected in chapter 12, and very interesting group is mentioned in verse 42.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him for fear they would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. Listen. Superficiality tracked Jesus through his entire ministry as it does today. As it does today. Chapter 13. Again, in the incident of the washing of the feet, verse 10, Jesus says to Peter, he who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all of you. For he knew the one who was betraying him.
Dr. John MacArthur [:For this reason he said, not all of you are clean. And again, they had no idea who who this was. Judas was not exposed. Now just a reference again to something else that John wrote over in First John, chapter 2 and verse 19. Very important statement speaking of people who defect, who do not abide, who do not stay. They went out from us, but they were not really of us. John knows this now from what he learned about our Lord's words in John 15 and the experience of Judas and others. They went out from us and it's still happening in his experience as an apostle.
Dr. John MacArthur [:But they were not really of us. If they had been of us, they would have remained with us, but they went out so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. And then down in verse 24, as for you, he writes, he says now the same thing that our Lord said to the disciples that night. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which he himself made to us. Eternal life. You abide in me, and I'll abide in you.
Dr. John MacArthur [:John is reiterating what he heard on that Thursday night and is recorded for us in John 15. The command then that I want you to notice is in verse four. Abide in me. Abide in me. Let's not get too mystical about that, too spiritual about that. It's simply the Greek word meno, which means to stay, to remain. Don't leave, don't forsake me, don't walk away. This could speak to the issue of what theologians call the perseverance of the saints.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Stay. Don't do what Judas did. Don't do what many other Judas like persons do. Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, written to a Jewish community of believers. And attached to that Jewish community of believers were some fence sitting non believers who were attracted to Christ. They were associating with those believing Jews, but they weren't making a full commitment to Christ. And so in Hebrews 4:14, the writer of Hebrews says, let us hold fast our profession. If you make any profession of Christ, hold onto it.
Dr. John MacArthur [:And all the way through Hebrews, there are warnings to this group of Jews attached to the true believers who have not come all the way to Christ. You're warned over and over and over. Chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 6, chapter 10. Warning, warning, warning, warning. Don't leave, don't go away, don't defect, don't apostatize. Hold fast that profession. Now that is all our Lord is saying in verse four. Stay, you've made a profession.
Dr. John MacArthur [:You've made an association. Stay, remain. Abide. Don't leave. There is an Old Testament moment that I think elucidates on this turn to Deuteronomy 31, Deuteronomy 31 and verse 14. This is a final word from Moses really to the people. As leadership of Israel has transitioned from Moses who can't go into the promised land because of what he did, and Joshua who will lead them into the promised land. Moses has been their leader for 40 years.
Dr. John MacArthur [:The Lord comes and says to Moses, Deuteronomy 31:14. Behold, the time for you to die is near. Call Joshua and present yourself at the tent of meeting that I may commission him. So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. The Lord appeared in the tent, and a pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. This is the tabernacle. The Lord said to Moses, behold, you're about to lie down with your fathers and listen to this. This people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land.
Dr. John MacArthur [:They've been wandering 40 years. They're about to go into the land, and God says, they're going to play the harlot with the strange gods of the land. They're going to go into idolatry, into the midst of which they are going. And they will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day. And I will forsake them and hide my face from them. And they will be consumed. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say, in that day, is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us? But I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.
Dr. John MacArthur [:And they did massive defection. They were attached to the covenant people Israel. They were only superficially attached to the covenant people Israel. That became manifest when they did not remain, when they did not stay faithful, when they did not continue, when they did not persevere. Don't be like them. The apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, warns the Corinthians not to do that. Don't be like those in the wilderness who defected. There are all kinds of warnings throughout the New Testament.
Dr. John MacArthur [:To be faithful, to remain, to stay. That is what is going on here. Stay. We all know people who were around a while, and then they left. And it wasn't because they left town. They left God. They left his people. They left the Scripture.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Don't do that. Stay. Remain. Abide. Why? Starting in verse four, there is an unfolding of the blessings of abiding. The promises of abiding. Profound blessings come to those who stay. Blessing, number one.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Salvation. Salvation. Eternal salvation. Now, how would you describe your salvation? If somebody says to you, you're a Christian, aren't you? And they say, well, what does that mean? What do you say? Do you say, I go to church a lot of People do that. You say, well, you know, I worship. I go to a Bible study. I believe the Bible. Is that what you would say? Let me give you the baseline, bottom line, irreducible minimum, which at the same time is the eternal, infinite maximum.
Dr. John MacArthur [:If you are a Christian, here is what you say. Abide in me, and I in you. What does it mean to be a Christian? It means, listen, God lives in you. Yes, the creator God of the universe, the infinitely holy triune God lives in you. That is the essence of what it means to have a relationship with God in salvation. God lives in me. And that may be the best way that we can explain our own lives and our own identity. Rather than saying, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, which sounds kind of like you're somebody special, you would be better off to say, well, God, the eternal God, Holy God, the Creator God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit live in me.
Dr. John MacArthur [:What? But that is essentially exactly what our Lord is saying. And it's a trinitarian presence, staggering reality. Now, I grant you that the glorious manifestation of the children of God, of Romans 8 has not yet been manifest, has not yet been made visible. That won't happen until we're glorified. So in the meantime, we are veiled, right? We are veiled. The world doesn't see us. It is important to know who we are. So I am.
Dr. John MacArthur [:I am literally a body in which God lives. He lives in me. The Lord has come to live in me. In the 14th chapter, our Lord was talking to the disciples on the same night. In verse 23, he says, if anyone loves me, if your love is real, you will obey. Love and obedience go together. You'll keep his word and my Father will love him. And how much will he love him? He will love him so that we will come to him and make our home with Him.
Dr. John MacArthur [:This is who we are. This is absolutely who we are. It's just a truth that gets repeated and repeated. Go back to verse 17 of John 14 talking of the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit. You know him because he abides with you and will be where in you. So verse 23 says, we, the Son and the Father, will make our home with him. And verse 17 says, the holy Spirit will make his home in us. And verse 20, in that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
Dr. John MacArthur [:The Trinity lives in a believer. It is really stunning. And our Lord affirms this in his high priestly prayer in John 17:23. I In them, and you in me. That they may be perfected in unity so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you've loved me. What manifests our transformation to the world is the presence of God in us. Really an astonishing thing. Absolutely.
Dr. John MacArthur [:An astonishing reality. If you stay, it's evidence your faith is real. And if it is, then God takes up residence in you. Romans 8:10 says, Christ is in you. Christ is in you. First Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 16. Paul loved this truth. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? And then over in chapter six, verses 19 and 20.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God. You're not your own. You've been bought with a price. Tremendously stunning truth. 2 Corinthians 6:16. We are the temple of the living God. Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ.
Dr. John MacArthur [:It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Christ lives in me. Ephesians 2:22. You are built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Colossians 1:27. Christ in you, the hope of glory. How do you talk about yourself as a believer? You talk about yourself as the residence of God, the temple of God. Listen to what John says.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Over in one John. Building on these truths. You are from God. Little children. Verse 4. 1 John 4:4 have overcome them. Listen to this. Because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
Dr. John MacArthur [:You worry about Satan in the world. Don't worry about Satan in the world. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Verse 13. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us. How do we know that? Because he's given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testified that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Verse 16. We have come to know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love. And the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. I wish we'd start talking like this. Right. To abide is to remain. And for all who remain, they give evidence of a genuine salvation.
Dr. John MacArthur [:And how is that defined? It is defined as God living in us. God living in us, taking up residence. Colossians 1:21 says, you were formerly alienated from God, hostile, engaged in evil deeds. He has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death, in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from. From the hope of the gospel. If you remain, if you stay, if you abide, he abides in you. This is an incredibly stunning reality.
Dr. John MacArthur [:You think about the condescension of our Lord to take on a human body, but he took on a sinless human body. What kind of condescension is it for the triune God to take on a sinful body, take up residence in us? Now I want you to look at first Peter, chapter one. One Peter, chapter one, verse three. This is a doxology, really. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. All right. We're born again, which means we have new life, divine life we have obtained. Verse 4.
Dr. John MacArthur [:An inheritance imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away reserved in heaven for you. And we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. On the one hand we persevere and remain and stay and endure. On the other hand, God keeps us.
Scott Keffer [:Okay. Stunning on the inside. Did you have from that not abiding in Christ this idea that. How do we define ourselves as Christians? God the Father, God Son and God the Holy Spirit in you? I don't think I ever thought. I mean, I thought Christ in you, but I'd never thought. Oh, that. That's what it means to be a Christian. That the triune God dwells.
Scott Keffer [:If you're like me, that. Isn't this the first fear? That's the fear of putting. Putting a Christ bumper sticker on your car when you see how you drive. Yeah. I want to say Christ lives in me. Where I don't think I see you. You know, so that's. So how do you think about this? Christ in you.
Scott Keffer [:The hope of glory. So it was one thing that he took on flesh. The uncontainable stepped into a container. But a. A sinless container. But he's now stepped into this container. Like you say. I always say, what's grace? Sleep is sleep other than physical.
Scott Keffer [:Gives me a break from me. I just get tired of me. I can't. Who spend 24 hours with you. I don't want to spend. Give me a break with me. Lord's in us that's really wild. Dwell in you.
Scott Keffer [:Because we automatically go to, okay, who's the branches? Like, who are the branches, right? So that's one. One way to not go, okay, who's the ranch, Who's a real branch? Who's going to fall away? Who's going to be burned up, Right? The other would be, well, what about me? Like, am I a branch? Am I abiding in you? Right? So I love. I love the fact that God has given us pictures. They are finite pictures, limited pictures of eternal realities, right? Eternal realities. But they're pictures to give us some sense of something, right? Because this will go to where we'll head in Romans in the fall, you know, with this, that whole idea, right? Am I branch? Can I be. You know that. Can I be broken off? I love the fact if you flip back over because everybody says, oh, once saved, always saved. Which branch are you? Right? Well, think about this, right? For the pictures.
Scott Keffer [:Once a sheep, always a sheep. Think about the pictures that God has. Once a sheep, always a sheep. Can you stop being a sheep of the shepherd? Let's see, once a child, always a child, huh? Can you stop being a child after you're adopted? Can you become unadopted? Huh? Once a subject, always a subject. Yeah. Can somebody change their, Their, their. Their, you know, their citizenship, if you will? Once a slave, always a slave. Can a slave unslave himself? Right? Slave to a master.
Scott Keffer [:Once a body, always a body. Really. Can a body disconnect from the head? What happens then? Once a branch. Oh, right. So each of these are pictures to give us. Right? If you think about it, it's a way to take that which has infinite number of facets, like a diamond, and you have to turn it. And he's showing us something specific in each one of these, right? Each one. So this, this idea of vitality, fruitfulness is the picture in the branches.
Scott Keffer [:The branches. Great, great idea.
Scott Keffer [:Stunning.
Scott Keffer [:That. That the Eternal One, the uncontainable, the uncontainable one would step into this container. The Holy One would step into here. So something has to have happened for the eternal God to come and dwell in me. In fact, Jesus said, you have to be born again. Of course you have to be born again. Right? That's why something has to have happened for him to step in. I've been crucified with Christ, Crucified, dead, buried and resurrected in order for the eternal God to dwell in us.
Scott Keffer [:That's why when he separates the branches at the end of time, called the sheep and the goats, it's separating the branches, right? What's he say? I never knew you. I never knew you. And he says, for true believers, your name is written in the book of life before the foundation of the world. I never knew you. Right? So we're worried about whether others are branches or not. Don't worry about other branches. They need to worry about their own branch. And the other is me.
Scott Keffer [:We're about me, right? And this is. We go to, which is good. There's a warning of. There's the peace. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Why? For it's God who is at work with you, right? Both to will and to work. His good pleasure. Why are you not cooperating with the eternal God who has the purpose.
Scott Keffer [:Not for you to worry about being broken off, but for you to participate in. In fruit bearing and think about a branch. What does the branch do to bear fruit? I mean, what does the branch do? It's a good picture. Like, like, okay, guys, let's branch it.
Dr. John MacArthur [:Okay? Let's, like, do the fruit.
Scott Keffer [:What are they doing? What's the branch doing? Letting the life of the vine flow through them. Letting the life of the vine throw through them. So it's good. It's a good. It's a good picture for it. All right, so we'll pick this up for next time. This idea of abiding in Christ been helpful today? So what's it mean to be a Christian? Christ lives in you. Isn't it great? So, Tim, would you close this in purple? And may the vine dresser.
Scott Keffer [:And the true vine. May they bless you. May they keep you. May cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you his shalom deep in your soul. And may his life flow in you and through you. May he bless you and keep you. Amen.
Scott Keffer [:Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time. May God bless you and keep you.
