Introduction:

ILL: Dear God, So far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Amen.
(10,000 Sermon Illustrations. electronic ed. Dallas: Biblical Studies Press, 2000.)

Speaking of prayer, her are a few quotes on the topic:

    •    If in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door back and let God in, every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.
        – (Oswald Chambers)
    •    Keep praying, but be thankful that God’s answers are wiser than your prayers!
         – (William Culbertson )
 
Last week I asked ‘How do we live the Christian life? How do we make it really work?’ Jesus gave us one answer in John 15:1-3…fruitfulness. That means we allow the Spirit of God to so work in our lives that He produces fruit consistent with the character of Jesus Christ. Today we will discover another answer to those very significant questions.

Transition: Open your Bibles to John 15:4 (pg. 824 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you) It’s here that we’ll find we can successfully and faithfully navigate the Christian life when we ‘remain in Christ, by prayer, to the glory of God.’

1. John 15:4-6        ‘Remain In Christ…’

In theory we know what Jesus is talking about here, but often we fail to believe it in a practical way because we are bombarded in the media about the power of self.
    •    Explore your human potential
    •    You can do anything you set your mind to
    •    Your future is yours to make
    •    The strength to flourish is inside each of you

Yet Jesus tells us there’s nothing inherently within us that will produce anything worth while or of lasting significance. In fact, Jesus says that the only way you will do anything significant in life is to place all your trust in him, to depend on him in everything…in Jesus’ words, to abide in him.

Do you want to successfully and faithfully navigate the Christian lire? Do you want to make Christianity work in your life…really work?
    •    Then stop trying on your own and start trusting in the Lord.
    •    Stop struggling to be the vine and be content being a branch.
    •    Abide in Christ.

Def: Abide
Dictionary.com : To remain in a place, to continue to be sure or firm; endure, to dwell.
The Biblical idea takes the definition a bit further: ‘Abide’ is to make a permanent home, a permanent dwelling, to take up permanent residence.

Let me give you an example from Scripture.
Read: Ps. 90:1 ‘Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.’

Question: What do you think of when you hear the word ‘home’. What are some of the significant aspects of a home.

ILL:
    •    Home is where your heart is; it is where you want to be    (especially during holidays).
    •    Home is the place you are eager to get back to (when you’ve been away).
    •    Home is where you feel comfortable, and can truly be yourself.
    •    Home is a place of safety and security.
    •    Home is your base of operations; it’s at the center of what you do.
    •    Home is where you find your strength for life; because it’s where you eat and sleep.
    •    Home is where the people and the things you love the most are found. (Bob Diffenbaugh)

To abide in Jesus is to make him your home, in all that that word means. It also means to make all aspects of your life reside, dwell in Jesus. Not just want you say and do on Sunday.

Apart from abiding in Jesus Christ you can do nothing…you can not successfully and faithfully navigate the Christian life, you can’t make Christianity work in your life. Apart from making Jesus Christ your permanent home, you can do nothing.  

Transition: Some of you are thinking, how, specifically, can I live my new life in Christ? OK, Here it is!

2. John 15:7        ‘By Prayer…’
Read: John 15:7

Notice there is a change in the grammar from 3rd person to 2nd person when Jesus says ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you’ Jesus is making relationship with him, personal. He’s speaking directly to his disciples…then and now.

When Jesus gets personal he reveals
    •    the key to abiding in him,
    •    the key to making Jesus Christ your home,
    •    the key to successfully and faithfully navigating the Christian life

‘ask whatever you wish and it will be given you’. Prayer. It’s that simple and it’s that difficult.

Before you start listening to some of the TV preachers and start to ‘Name it and Claim it’ remember the context:
    •    Jesus is about to leave his disciples, physically.
    •    They are scared, worried and not sure how they will do all that Jesus has told them to do.
    •    Jesus is giving them the answer to their many questions
    •    Abide in me by prayer and you can do anything…you will be able to do all that I have told you.
    •    Just pray, talk to me and I will listen and answer you.
    •    You can trust me.

But the truth is, prayer doesn’t come easy.

ILL: German theologian and pastor, Deitrich Bonhoeffer writing on this text said "Lord, teach us to pray!"  So spoke the disciples to Jesus.  In making this request, they confessed that they were not able to pray on their own, that they had to learn to pray.  The phrase "learning to pray" sounds strange to us.  If the heart does not overflow and begin to pray by itself, we say, it will never "learn" to pray.  But it’s a dangerous error, surely very widespread among Christians, to think that the heart can pray by itself.  For then we confuse wishes, hopes, sighs, laments, rejoicings--all of which the heart can do by itself--with prayer.  And we confuse earth and heaven, man and God.  Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one's heart.  It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty.  No man can do that by himself.  For that he needs Jesus Christ.  
(James Burtness, Shaping The Future:  The Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 9.)

ILL: Scholar D.A. Carson speaking of the Church wrote, ‘We have learned how to organize, build institutions, publish books, insert ourselves into the media, develop evangelistic strategies and administer discipleship programs, but we have forgotten how to pray.
 (10,000 Sermon Illustrations. electronic ed. Dallas: Biblical Studies Press, 2000.)

Question: Is prayer important to the Christian? Is prayer essential for the Christian’s success and faithfulness in navigating the Christian life?

If prayer is truly essential to living the Christian life, then why are there only 7-10 people out on Wednesday for our Mid Week Praise and Prayer time?
    •    I know many of you have small children, that’s why I have never asked for more then family representation on Wednesday nights.
    •    I know many of you work late. But is it possible to place your dinner after prayer one day a week?
    •    I know many of you are very busy in ministry. But I would rather have you here on Wednesday night praying than serving in multiple ministries other
          days of the week.    
            -Someone else can take your place in ministry, but no one can take your place in prayer.

Bottom line. If you’re serious about wanting to make the Christian life work for you, you must be serious about prayer.

Transition: What else will happen when you pray?

3. John 15:8        ‘To the Glory of God!’    
Read: John 15:8

Others will see you and know that you belong to God, they will know you’re a Christian. Your life will glorify God.
    •    The ultimate purpose of bearing fruit,
    •    The ultimate purpose of abiding in Christ,
    •    The ultimate purpose of prayer
...is to bring glory to God.

Conclusion

Why is all this important? It was important to the disciples because Jesus wasn’t going to be around any longer.
    •    How would they deal with the coming persecution for being a Christian?
    •    How would they help build the Kingdom of God as Jesus told them to do?
    •    How were they going to successfully and faithfully live out their new lives as Christians?

Their natural inclination would have been either to give up in discouragement or to move forward in pride doing it all on their own. Jesus tells his much loved disciples ‘Without me you can do nothing. But if you remain in me by prayer, not only will you be able to do all things, you will bring honor to God because people will see that you belong to him.’

Why is this important to you and I? It’s important because Jesus is not here…physically.
    •    How will we deal with persecution, ridicule for being a Christian?
    •    How will we help build the Kingdom of God as Jesus told us to do?
    •    How are we going to successfully and faithfully live out our new lives as Christians?

Our natural inclination is either to give up in discouragement or to move forward in pride doing it all on their own. Jesus tells us, his much loved disciples ‘Without me you can do nothing. But if you remain in me by prayer, not only will you be able to do all things, you will bring honor to God because people will see that you belong to him.’

God’s much loved children...Abide in Christ by prayer to the glory of God.