In Him (PART II)

By Winston Ko

Introduction

We were looking at: "When we sign our email "In Him", what do we mean?" In Part I of the message, we have seen that we share in the inheritance in Christ. It is the land flowing with milk and honey. We can find in it what is necessary for our living and growth. It also gives us the sweetness of life. We can take ownership of it, with all the associated privilege and responsibility. We used Colossians 1:9-19 and 2:8-10a to explain:
· We can take ownership of the redemption in Christ, bringing our sin to God with the assurance that He will forgive us. When we write In Him, we mean, "In His grace; saved by his grace."
· We can take ownership of the perfect image of God, frequently gazing at Him and witnessing to others. When we write In Him, we mean, "In the sight of His loving image. In Him we unite."
· We can take ownership of this church, His church, by caring about the well being of the whole church. When we write In Him, we mean, "Serving Him in the body of Christ."
· We can take ownership of the riches in Him, which is all sufficient. When we write In Him, we mean, "In His riches that we share."

We thank the Father that by his grace he has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of the Son he loves. This is our position In Him. Today we will continue the subject but emphasize on the experience of all the riches In Him.

Joshua 1:3 "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses." Unless the Israelites set foot in there, they could not experience the riches of the land flowing with milk and honey promised to them. Today we would consider experiencing the riches In Him.

The passage we will use today is the familiar parable of the vine and the branches in John 15. The night our Lord was betrayed, after He had the Passover dinner with his disciples and after he had established the Communion for the remembrance of Him, he spoke these last words with his disciples. The fact that we are partaking the Communion today adds special meaning to this passage for us.

I. Our Position In Him

Verses 1-2: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

First our Lord reaffirmed our position In Him. The whole Christian life depends on the clear consciousness of our position in Christ. This is a perfect parable. Here Jesus taught us that our relationship with Him is not a vertical or horizontal one, but we are In Him. We are to be the perfect representation of Christ and an extension of His life. His nature is in us and He has placed His Spirit in us.

The Spirit is the bond of fellowship between Christ and us. The Spirit was given for one purpose - that the glorious redemption and life in Christ might with divine power be conveyed and communicated to us. The connection between the vine and branch is a living one. The vine keeps the branch alive. The Spirit is the life-sap through which the vine and branch grow into real and living oneness: by Him we are one.

The main purpose of the vine is for bearing fruit. Fruit is the result the gardener's - the Father's - will and workmanship. The gardener did not plant a showy flower plant, promising us the splendor of worldly success. The grass withers and the flowers fall! Fruit is what He desires. But the natural tendency of the branch of vine is so inclined to turn into wood that is utterly worthless except for fire. That is the reason that the branch needs to be pruned before it can receive blessings effectively.

Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The vine is the Father's masterpiece. Picture in our mind the well pruned branches grown in vine, ready to bear fruit. That is the purpose of God. We continue to draw upon His life, grow each day and prepare to bring forth His fruit for the Father. As we look to Him and prepare our hearts for Him to do perfect work in us, we begin to see the budding of the vine bearing fruit in our lives.

Verses 5 and 8: I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

The branches are in perfect union with the vine although the branches are weak and the vine is strong. His strength may be perfected in our weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Just as the vine supplies the sap to the branches the Spirit supplies nourishment to us, helping us to bring forth fruit. Then not only we grow in strength, our union with the vine will become even stronger in bearing fruit, indeed, much fruit. That is the fruit the Father desires - not the work itself, but our strengthened, surer and firmer relationship with the vine! Again I would like to bring up the ultimate goal in promoting stewardship this year: Ephesians 4:12-13 "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

II. Experience in Him through His Word

Verse 7: you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

In reading Bible, sometime we run into difficulty with the word "if" such as here. Does it mean that we need to do certain amount of work (e.g., read Bible X number of times) or achieve certain standard in order to keep our position in Him? Has not this position been given to us forever? We are in Christ. We are forever in Christ! The word "if" really refers to experience. It shows how to experience the riches promised to us.

If we remain in Him, His words remain in us. The word "words" here means the Spirit is taking the Word of God to speak to us directly. He speaks to us in the depth of our spirit. This is the experience of remaining in Him. It is not God's will for us to become monks. It is that in everything we do we have the Spirit taking the words of God to speak to us in the depth of our heart. Then, no matter what we ask, He will answer, because we are asking according to His will if we remain in Him.

Remaining in Christ and having His words remaining in us teach us to pray in accordance with the will of God. Remaining in Christ teaches us to pray only to seek the glory of God. John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

What is the glory to the Father? Verse 8: "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (See section V.)

III. Experience His Love

Verses 9-10: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

Before He invites us to remain in His love to experience it, He tells us what that love is. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." God is love. Love is His very being. It is a perfect love. It gives all, and holds nothing back.

The hour of His suffering is near, and he cannot speak much more to His disciples. He gives them His own life as the best exposition of His command. In the light of His union with the Father, their union with Him will become clear.

It is easy to talk about remaining in His love when things are going our way. But it is in times of trial that His love becomes so much more real and remaining in Him becomes so much more precious. Growing in conformity to our blessed Lord in His sufferings, we will have a deeper experience of the reality and tenderness of His love. This love in us no one can take way.

A brother who attended this church long time ago got cancer and underwent painful treatment. It was a real trial time for the family. We got a letter from the wife began with, "It was the worst of times; it was the best of times," similar to, but in reverse order of, the beginning of Charles Dickens's epic Tale of Two Cities. To be sure, it was the worst of times. But it was the best of times because through the affliction God has clearly shown His love to the family, pulling it all together.

Unfortunately many believers may pass through much affliction, and yet secure but little blessing from it all. But when we have found our rest in time of trouble, we learn to choose remaining in Him as our only portion; and when the affliction is removed, have so grown more firmly into Him.

Verse 10: If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

Earlier that night he said something even more precious: (John 14:23) "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." God will come to live with us! But you may say, "Wait! Is this a conditional love?! I thought God's love is unconditional!" Yes, God's love is unconditional. What we have here is experiential love. It is through obeying his command that we may have the experience of remaining in His love, the experience of God come to live with us!

Remember the greatest commandment: (Mark 12:31) "Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Experience God's love in us by bearing the fruit of loving others! This is an amazing divine recipe.

IV. Experience the Joy In Him

Verse 11: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Joy is an essential characteristic of the life of the believer who fully remains in Christ. The joy of the Lord is His strength, confidence, and courage.

Second time on the night our Lord was betrayed, He spoke of joy: John 16:22 but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

The glorious presence of Jesus in our lives cannot but give joy. Remaining in sweet fellowship with Him consciously will bring constant joy to our soul.

Third time that night He spoke of joy: John 17:13 I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

These are Jesus' own words. It is impossible to take Him wholly and heartily, and not get His joy too. Therefore, Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

V. The Fruit of the Vine

Verse 12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Andrew Murray wrote in Abide in Christ: "In His love to the unworthy and the ungrateful, in His humbling Himself to walk among men as a servant, in His giving Himself up to death, He simply lived and acted out the life of the divine love which was in the heart of God. He lived and died to show us the love of the Father." His command to us is to imitate Him -- our life of love is the chief evidence of Christianity. Every Chinese Scholar who accepted the Lord would testify: it is the love of God through the love of the believers, which attracted them to Christianity. Let us praise God! We are called to love as Jesus loves, as God loves.

Isn't this now the much fruit that Jesus has promised we shall bear, with which we can prove to others that the land of promise is indeed a good land? The particular fruit Jesus mentioned here that the Father is looking for is love. In this stewardship year of our church, let us be the good stewards of God's love.

Conclusion

To conclude, let us go back to Colossians that we read during Part I of the message. Colossians 2: 6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

To experience the riches of the land flowing with milk and honey promised to them, the Israelis in the Old Testament must set foot in there. To experience the riches in Christ that has been promised to us, we must continue to live in him. This means we let the Spirit take the words of God to guide our lives. Remain in His love and obey His command to love others. Rooted and build up in the vine and produce abundant fruit and love each other. Then we can really experience the joy in Him, overflowing with thankfulness.

May the In Him that we sign reflect our experiencing His riches, with a life guided by His words, remaining in His love and loving each other, and with the joy that no one can take away.

Title: In Him (PART II)
By: Winston Ko
Series: Stewardship
Date: 11/3/02