Live In The Word
John 8:31-32
This sermon series is focused on the process of Discipleship, and focused on the book of John. We are following the six disciplines listed in book from the Master Life Series book called the Disciples Cross.
This is a process by which His Spirit and His word are allowed into your heart, and by putting Christ first, you begin to be led by Him in all you do. It is a process of obedience and submission, and allowing Him to become Lord of your life.
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Make Him Lord Of Your Life And Follow Him
There is a difference between just making a decision to ask Him to be your savior, and Denying yourself and taking up your Cross daily and Following Him, as it says in Luke 9:23.
Make Him Lord of your life and follow Him.
Leave your nets, or in today’s vernacular, your attachment to things/security/career/even family.
Not to say these things are bad, they are all good! But place Him first in your life and all of these flourish when placed in their right priority.
One of the most important steps after a decision of faith in Christ is
the affirmation of that faith.
If you have trusted in Christ as your savior, don’t doubt that decision.
John 10:28 says:
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
But to have eternal life, should lead you somewhere. It should lead you and me to follow Him.
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The Six Disciplines
Daily SLPFWM:
Spend time with the master
Live in the word
Pray in faith
Fellowship with believers
Witness to the non-believers
Minister to others
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Review Of Last Week
Last week we explored the verse John 15:5 which said “I am the vine and you are the branches, If anyone abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.”
This verse illustrates the fact that
Christ should be placed at the center of our lives.
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Grow In Him As Disciples
This week, we will look at another of the six disciplines and through an examination of John 8, we’ll see how God’s word is essential to our growth as disciples.
This whole process is NOT about us.
It is about our growth in HIM
and His mission to take the Gospel to the world.
Being a disciple is about growing us in Him so we can be ready to live in Him and present Him to the world.
He accomplishes this through us, and that is why this process grows us IN Him, so we can continue to present Him to those with whom we live.
Our verse for today is John 8:31-32:
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
This is similar to the verses that begin with “but” or “and” or “therefore”…we have to go back.
What we will find when we go back may surprise you.
The verse says “So, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him.”
This is significant. Why? Because in the passages leading up to this verse, they were doing everything but believe Him. And in subsequent passages we’ll see that even those who believe Him, may not have believed unto salvation.
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Power In His Word
Let’s look back at Chapter 7 verses 25 and 26.
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
The word goes on to proclaim that Jesus stood boldly and delivered teaching in the face of the authorities (or the Saducees and Pharisees) who sought to kill Him. They even sent men to arrest Him, but the men didn’t arrest Him and when the authorities spoke with the officers who were sent to arrest Him, the men said, “no one ever spoke like this man.”
Essentially they were saying “Have you heard His words?”
There is power in His word.
Some other verses about His word:
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Romans 10:17
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
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I encourage you to go back this week and read through John chapter 7 and 8.
1. Each day read and see how many people believed that Jesus was the Christ.
2. Listen to the word that He spoke to them.
3. Read how there were those who were so set in their religious ways and the authority established in the law, that they sought to eliminate Him because of the truth of the word that He was speaking.
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Abide In His Word
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
He said to the Jews who had believed Him.
He said “If you abide in my word”
What does this mean?
The word abide: μένω
Pronunciation: “Meno” in Greek
Meaning: To stay or to remain
It is used 61 times in the new testament.
Luke 24:29-32:
When Jesus had been resurrected, and He was walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
29 but they urged him strongly, saying,“Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
That is what happens when we Live in His Word.
Our hearts begin to burn within us. We begin to actually Listen, not just hear His word.
Our eyes begin to be opened, and He teaches us truth for our lives.
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The value of spending quiet time in His word with Him
KRBB:
Know God through fellowship with Him.
Receive direction and guidance for daily decisions.
Bring our needs before God.
Bear spiritual fruit.
When we abide in Him KRBB is the result.
He says not only to the Jews who had believed Him, but also to us, If we abide in His word, we are truly His disciples.
What is a disciple?
Someone who follows and bears fruit.
What does it mean to bear fruit?
You will know God through fellowship with Him, receive daily direction for your lives, bring your needs to Him, and bear spiritual fruit.
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KRBB:
Know God through fellowship with Him
As I often say, I want to encourage each of us to have a daily quiet time with the Lord. Why, because He loves us and we love Him. We long to be with Him.
We long for the presence of those we love.
We long for God’s presence the same way, and even more.
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KRBB:
Receive direction and guidance for daily decisions
When we are in His presence He communicates with us on a level that is higher than when we are not abiding in Him. We want to receive daily guidance from Him for our lives.
In the Disciples cross under the section Day two for this week:
God’s word can permeate your daily life in all kinds of situations. As you memorize Scripture, the verses you learn will surface in your thoughts when you are in various situations. In the same way you find yourself in countless incidents that require you to apply scriptural truths. When you cannot have an open Bible in front of you, you can meditate on the verses you have memorized.
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KRBB:
Bring our needs before God
This is focused on petitioning Him for our needs.
God hears our prayers.
He is Jehovah-Shammah, which means the Lord is there.
He dwells with us and we dwell with Him if we have trusted in Jesus.
We can take our needs to Him in prayer.
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KRBB:
Bear Spiritual Fruit
The last B of KRBB is to bear fruit.
Jesus bore fruit, this mean that He is producing what He has been called to produce.
What is that?
Look at John 4:31-34
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
Jesus had a mission, and He is fulfilled in accomplishing the work of the father.
He said to His disciples, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”
What was that?
It’s teaching and proclaiming Himself as the Christ.
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You Will Know The Truth And The Truth Will Set You Free
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
If we abide in His word, we are truly His disciples…we follow Him.
The text says we will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Remember, He was talking to the Jews who had believed Him.
There were a significant amount of Jews who did not believe Him, but those who did, who heard His voice, and believed, He continued to teach them. He says to them, that His word is truth, and they will know it.
He says that His word will set them free.
This was a hard word for even those who believed Him.
Because as we saw there were some who began to believe Him. They believed the words that He was speaking, but they were still trying to live in both worlds.
They were still trying to find salvation in the Laws and adherence to them.
We can see this by looking at their response to Him.
33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
Again, here Jesus is communicating to them from the Father. They were stuck in their connection to their Jewish heritage, and thought that the Law and Adherence to the Law would save them. The Law was never meant to save, it was meant to point to the savior.
If you Abide in His word,
you are truly His disciples,
and
you will know the truth,
and
the truth will set you free.
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Questions for Discussion:
Jesus talked about being set free. What are some things in our lives, from which we must be set free under the power of His word?
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Have you been set free?
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In this world there are many masters. What are some things in our lives that could be categorized as masters?
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How does following Christ properly align our lives to the one true Master?
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Memory Verse: John 8:31-32
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
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I encourage you to go back this week and read through John chapter 7 and 8.
1. Each day read and see how many people believed that Jesus was the Christ.
2. Listen to the word that He spoke to them.
3. Read how there were those who were so set in their religious ways and the authority established in the law, that they sought to eliminate Him because of the truth of the word that He was speaking.
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