Good morning, Watermark. It's good to see you all here this morning.
Last week, we started looking at what it means to abide in God,
and this week we continue in the same passage.
So I hope that you've been enjoying the Bible reading plan
and have been abiding in God's Word.
Today's reading comes from John chapter 15, starting in verse 1.
We read,
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 does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you unless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers,
and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit,
and so prove to be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I 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, that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be full.
This is the word of God.
Great, thank you.
So let's pray together as we come and consider this passage.
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, precious Holy Spirit,
we come before you this morning.
We come to your word because we need you.
We need your word to speak to us.
God, we want to encounter you, the living God, in your living word.
And so, Father, this morning we don't come just to hear ideas.
We don't hear just for a prep talk, just to get us going for another week.
We come to, in our weakness, in our shame, in our joys, in our trials,
we come to you, the fountain of life, the fountain of living water.
We come because our souls are dry apart from you,
and you alone can satisfy us.
So, God, I pray, won't you open the eyes of our hearts to behold wonders in your word.
God, won't you help us to see what you want us to see.
Won't you both challenge and encourage us.
And most importantly, Jesus, come and speak to us this morning.
We pray this in your wonderful and your gracious name.
Amen.
Thank you, Celeste, for reading.
Well, as Celeste said, we are spending a couple of weeks in John 15,
this very wonderful, very famous passage of Scripture,
where Jesus essentially tells us that the source of life,
the source of the abundant life, is found in Him.
He says that we are not the center of our lives.
Jesus is not an accessory to our lives.
He is the source and the root of the abundant, the flourishing life.
And that life, we only flourish as we come to Him
and embed our lives in Him, as we are united in Him.
The word He uses is abide in Him.
And so, verse 4 and 5 is kind of the main idea of this passage.
Jesus says,
Abide in me as I abide in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you unless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, or she it is that bears much fruit.
For apart from me, you can do nothing.
And Jesus says He's not just like a branch,
one of the many branches in our lives.
We've got a financial branch and a religious branch and a family branch.
He's not just an accessory to our lives.
He is the source of life, and we find life as we embed ourselves in Him.
And in many ways, we've said that as a church,
we feel like the Scripture is so important for us this year.
This year, what are we going to do this year?
What are we going to give ourselves to?
There's so much of this year which is beyond our control.
We're not able to predict.
Who knows what the next 12 or 18 or 24 months looks like.
But the one thing we can do, if you're a follower of Jesus,
the one thing we must do is be abiding in Christ,
rooted in Christ, finding our life in Christ.
And so today and next Sunday,
we're going to kind of drop that down a little
and get a little bit more granular and say,
okay, well, what does that actually mean?
What does that look like?
And it's not going to be extremely practical,
but it's hopefully going to be one level down,
a little bit more granular.
And in John 15, there's two things that Jesus tells us.
We're going to look at one of them this week,
one of them next week, okay?
So, but before we dive in, let me ask you a question.
Whose voice has most shaped your life and your worldview?
What word that somebody has spoken to you or spoken over you
has most shaped your life and the person that you are today?
It could be for positive or for negative,
a word of encouragement, a word of criticism,
a word of a parent, a teacher, a friend.
Whose word, whose voice has most shaped your life?
And in what way in particular has that word
made you the person that you are today?
As you think about that, John 15, Jesus says,
abide in me as I in you.
A branch cannot bear fruit in this that abides in me,
and neither can you.
But then look at what Jesus says in verse seven.
Jesus tells us what that actually means
and what that looks like.
He says in verse seven,
let me just get it in my Bible here.
Sorry.
Jesus says,
if you abide in me and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
So how do we abide in Christ this year?
Or to use the imagery from last week,
how do we not just plug our lives into Jesus now and then
for a quick 20 minute recharge,
but rather embed the circuit board of our lives into Christ
so that he is the one that's sustaining us and carrying us?
How do we do that?
Jesus says,
one of the ways we abide in Christ
is by abiding in his word.
You see that?
Abide in me,
and if my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
Now,
today we're going to look at this verse
and there's three things that are surprising about this verse.
The first one is the second half.
Look at what he says.
Jesus says,
if you do this,
ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
That sounds like a unusual blank check, right?
Jesus says,
whatever you wish,
ask,
your wish is my command.
Okay?
Second thing that's unusual is,
look at how the first half of the verse
is almost identical to verse four,
except there's one change.
Look at verse four.
Jesus says,
abide in me and I in you.
Now verse seven,
Jesus says,
if you abide in me and my words abide in you.
So what's Jesus saying here?
It almost seems like what Jesus is saying
is that his words are synonymous with Christ himself,
which is an unusual thing to say
and almost blasphemous in some ways.
You think of the eternal,
uncreated,
sovereign God,
the one who spoke creation and the universe into being,
Jesus Christ,
and now Christ elevates something else
almost to the same level as him.
If I abide in you,
abide in me and I abide in you,
now he says,
abide in me and let my words abide in you.
It seems unusual.
And yet,
actually throughout scripture,
this is something we see again and again,
that God says,
what his word does is what he does.
God again and again throughout scripture
almost raises his word to the status of God himself.
Very,
we often quote Psalm 29.
You might have heard it before.
It says,
the word of the Lord breaks the cedars.
In other words,
strongholds.
The next line says,
God himself breaks the cedars.
What God's word does is what God does.
A few weeks ago,
Neil preached on Psalm 107.
Psalm 107 talks about these various scenarios
when people are in a difficult situation
and they cry out to God
and God delivers them.
Look at verse 19.
They cried out to the Lord in their trouble.
He delivered them from their distress.
He sent out his word
and he healed them.
He delivered them from their destruction.
Now the psalmist is not saying
that God sent them a Bible,
but he's saying that he sent them his word,
his word of hope,
his word of redemption.
God revealed who he was
and that delivered them.
It saved them.
It's amazing that scripture
plays such high emphasis
on God's word,
his instructions,
his promises,
his teaching,
what he reveals about himself.
And yet if you think about that,
that actually makes sense
because that's true
of most of our relationships.
If I say to my kids,
please will you pick up your towel
after you shower
and hang it up
so that it dries
and my kids look at me
and say,
nah.
Okay.
Why do I take such offense at that?
They're not just rejecting my words,
they're actually rejecting me.
If you say to somebody at work,
listen,
please don't do this
and then they go
and do that exact thing,
they're not just rejecting your words,
they're showing disdain for you,
right?
In the same way,
Jesus here
says that his words
are so important
because it's one of the ways
that we encounter Christ himself.
Think of Hebrews chapter four,
it says God's word
is living and active.
Part of what that means
is the way that God works
is through his word
but also it's the way
that God presences himself,
the way he reveals himself to us
is through his word
which is why
when we come to God's word
what we hope to do
is actually to encounter
the living God himself
not just read words on a page.
And so Jesus says the same thing,
he says,
how do you relate to me?
To my words,
what it says is actually
how do you relate to me?
And Charles Spurgeon
in typical fashion
says this,
if Christ's words
will not abide in you
both as belief and practice,
you are not in Christ.
Christ and his gospel
and his commands are one.
If you will not have Christ
and his words,
neither will he have you
nor your words.
And so Jesus says,
abide in me
and let my words abide in you.
To be frivolous
or dismissive
about what Jesus says
is to be frivolous
or dismissive
about Jesus himself.
But thirdly,
notice the third thing
that's interesting
about this verse.
And this is what I want us
to spend a bit of time
thinking about.
A few months ago
when we planned
this kind of preaching series,
we thought,
okay, we'll do John chapter 15
verse one.
Week two,
we'll do something
on the Bible
and how to have devotions
and long words
and long devotions
because Jesus says,
abide in me
and abide in my words,
right?
But this week
as I started
to think about
and study it,
I actually saw
that's not what Jesus says.
Jesus doesn't say,
abide in me
and abide in my words.
What does he say?
Abide in me
and let my words
abide in you.
You see the difference
between those two?
They're very similar,
but there's a difference.
What is Jesus saying?
Jesus is not just telling us
to do more stuff,
to be more disciplined,
to be more devoted,
to if you normally spend
five minutes in devotions
and not to spend
ten minutes in devotions.
Jesus is not just telling us
what to do.
He says,
let his words,
which means his teachings,
his instructions,
his promises,
but most importantly,
his revelation
of who he is,
let that so reside in us,
so abide within our hearts,
as the psalmist says,
to hide it deep
within our hearts
that it shapes
our worldview,
our life,
our motivations,
our responses to situations.
It shapes our hearts.
Jesus doesn't just say,
spend more time
reading my Bible.
He says,
let my words,
in other words,
let who I am,
abide in your heart
in such a way
that it shapes you
and the person
that you become.
So Jesus is not just calling us
to be better disciplined.
He's calling to let Christ himself
to reside in us
so that he shapes our life,
our worldview.
His voice becomes
the most powerful
and shaping voice
in our lives.
So to come back
to the question
we said earlier,
whose voice,
whose word
has most shaped you
in your life?
whose word,
whose voice
has shaped your worldview,
how you see the world
and how you see yourself?
Maybe for some of us,
it was a parent
or a grandparent,
a teacher,
maybe a caregiver,
maybe a sibling
or a boss
or a friend.
Friends,
whose words
have you taken
so deeply into your heart
that they've lodged
in your heart
and shaped the way
that you see the world
and see yourself?
for positive
or negative.
Maybe some of us
had a parent
who,
when we were younger,
said to us,
you'll never amount
to anything.
Or maybe you had a teacher
who called you lazy
or stupid
and you took that
deep in your heart
and it shaped the way
that you saw yourself.
Friends,
maybe it wasn't
anything specific
that somebody said.
Maybe it was just
a set of circumstances.
Maybe you went to
boarding school
at this young age
and you always
had to fend
for yourself.
And so the word
that shaped your heart
is nobody will ever
be there to protect you.
You're going to have
to fend for yourself
in this world.
Maybe it's just
the worldview
of Hong Kong's performance
and comparative culture
that deeply resides
in our hearts.
In order to be considered
not a failure,
a success in life,
you have to do something
that proves
that you're better
than those around you.
And so this word
drives you.
It drives your work performance.
It drives the way
you relate to others.
It drives you.
This word
that drives you.
Friends,
you see,
most of us here
are followers of Jesus
and yet what Jesus says here,
you can wake up
every morning,
have a devotion,
tick that off
on your list
and go off to work
and yet have some
other word
that's driving you
because something else
is the word
that's abiding
in your heart.
There's something else
that drives
your motivation.
It's what really
shapes your sense
of self-worth,
your behavior,
your relationships,
your idea of what
a successful life
looks like.
It's not who Christ is
and what Christ says
in his word.
It's what your boss says.
It's what your colleagues say.
It's what your parents say
or your teacher
or sibling
or a friend.
And you know
that it's possible
to live
driven by a word
even in reaction
to a word.
And so maybe
you're here this morning
and you said
I will never be
like my parents.
Do you see that
that word
is still controlling you?
It's the word
that's driving you.
And whatever I do
I won't be like my brother.
I won't be like my sister.
Jesus here says
that the way
to abide in Christ
is to have his word
abiding in our heart
to be the word
that shapes our lives
and permeates
our worldview
and who we are.
When I was growing up
my dad used to
say to me
and my brothers
fairly regularly
used to say
I want you to know
there's nothing
that you can do
in the entire world
that will stop me
loving you.
I may be angry
I may be disappointed
but there's nothing
that you can do
that will stop
my love for you.
Well for about
10 or 15 years
I never really
put that to the test.
And one day
when I was 18 years old
I was in boarding school
I was in my final year
of school
and I did something
really stupid
at school
and we were caught
and I was grounded
in the boarding house
for a month
I was a prefect
at school
and that was taken away
for the rest of term
and all the privileges
were taken away
and I knew
I had to go
and tell my dad
about what I had done.
And I was a little nervous
I knew there'd be consequences
I knew he'd be
pretty cross
but the one thing
I knew
was that for 15 years
he'd been telling me
there's nothing
that you can do
that will ever
make me question
my love for you.
And so while I had to
I can still remember
walking to my dad's study
one night
and telling him
what had happened
and one thing
I knew
I never for a second
guessed his love
or his commitment
or his affirmation
for me.
It's a word
that shaped my life.
Well you can imagine
what I try
and tell my kids
once a week
I try and tell my kids
Sierra, Shiloh
I want you to know
there's nothing
that you can do
that will stop
our love for you.
I want my kids
to be rooted
and grounded
in this word.
But actually
more than just
my love for them
I want my kids
to be rooted
and grounded
in who Christ
says about them
and Christ's word
for them.
And so one of the ways
that we do this
is I take my kids
to school every morning
in Light Ucock
and so we catch
the MTR
at 7 o'clock
from Admiralty Station
and go up to Light Ucock
and we've got 20 minutes
on the train.
And we don't do this
every day
but a couple of times
a month
we run through
this little routine
and I ask my kids
a bunch of questions.
I say
Sierra, Shiloh
what is the gospel?
They say
the gospel is
Jesus died
and rose again
that I can be forgiven
and included
in his family.
Sierra and Shiloh
who loves you most?
God loves me most.
Who loves you second most?
Mom and Dad
loves me second most.
Sierra and Shiloh
who does God the Holy Spirit
say you are?
One who is washed and cleaned.
Who does God the Son say you are?
One who is righteous and forgiven.
Who does God the Father say you are?
One who is loved and adopted.
Sierra and Shiloh
who are you?
I'm a sinner saved by grace.
And Sierra and Shiloh
what is grace?
God's undeserved mercy.
And what can you do
through his grace and power?
Hard things.
And so a couple of times a week
a couple of times a month
we run through this question.
And the reason is this.
Because I know at school
they're going to have difficult days.
A kid's going to be unkind to them.
They're going to bomb out
on an assignment.
Some teacher's going to give them
a bad grade.
Something's going to go wrong.
They're going to do something stupid
and face the consequences.
And in that moment
I want my kids
to be so rooted and grounded.
I want a word
that's abiding in their hearts.
It says
there is a God who loves me
and there's a mom and dad
who loves me.
And who am I?
Yes I'm a sinner
but I'm loved by grace.
And I can do hard things
by his grace and power.
Friends
but is that not true of us as well?
Friends
things are going to happen to us.
You're going to get overlooked
for a promotion
three years in a row.
Right?
You're going to apply for that job
and you're going to get turned down
for the tenth time.
You're going to fail an exam
at university.
Your boss is going to shout at you.
Things are going to happen.
Life happens.
What word is residing
and abiding in your heart
as you go through
the stuff of life?
Jesus says
there is a word
that you need
that's going to abide
in your heart.
If you're going to abide
in Christ this year
you need more than
just a five minute devotion.
You need his word
abiding in your life
and in your heart
shaping you
to who you become.
And maybe something
really good happens.
Right?
It's not only bad things.
Maybe you get
a double promotion.
Maybe you get
a huge bonus
and you got more money
than you know
what to do with.
Maybe you inherit
millions of dollars
from some family member
you didn't even know existed.
And now suddenly
you are the king
of the town.
How is that not going
to change you?
How are you not going
to become pride
and self-reliant?
You need a word
that's residing
in your heart.
You need to abide
in Christ.
You need Christ's word
to abide in you.
Jesus says this.
Jesus says
we'll never abide
in Christ deeply.
He'll never become
the source of our life
and the real stuff of life
the real matters of life
until his words
become the predominant
shaping voice
in our life.
The most active ingredient
that shapes who we are
and how we see the world
and see ourselves.
Jesus said
that if the son
sets you free
you are free indeed.
But you know
how the son
sets us free?
He gives us a word
that cuts against
all the lies
and the untruths
of the world.
And so the world
tells you
if you're ready
to be successful
you've got to get
that promotion
you've got to get
that job
you've got to hit
the status of society
and you become
a slave to that word.
Jesus says
I've come to set you free.
How?
By giving you another word
that says
your life is found in me.
Friends,
sometimes the world
tells you
you'll never amount
to anything
or your teacher
says something
or your colleague
says something
and you're a slave
to that word.
Jesus says
he's come to set you free.
How?
By giving you another word.
The word says
that your life
is found in him.
If you are to abide
in Christ
and to bear fruit
you must let
his word
abide in you.
Now
one of the best places
to see this
in scripture
is to go to
Psalm chapter 1.
If you've got
your bulletin
in front of you
you'll see
on the other side
of the scripture
reading is Psalm 1
and turn with me
there quickly.
I want us to
look at it.
Psalm 1 is amazing.
It's the first
of the Psalms
but it's not
the first of the Psalms
by chance.
It's the entry point
into all of the Psalms
and the way
that we read
and understand
if we listen
to the message
of Psalm 1
we really can listen
to all of the Psalms
but Psalm 1
compares
the life
that is shaped
by two different voices
and so look at
what he says
verse 1
he says
blessed is the man
or the woman
or the student
who walks
not in the
counsel of the wicked
nor stands
in the way of sinners
nor sits
in the seat
of scoffers
but his delight
is in the law
of the Lord
and on his law
he meditates
day and night.
Here we have this
Psalm 1
really is a sustained
contrast between
two lives
that are shaped
by two voices
two words
the voice
of those
that know God
or the voice
of God's word
and the voice
of those
that don't know God
and it's not just
knowing God's word
it's having God's word
deeply penetrating
our life
and shaping
our life.
Here
Psalm 1
the word
law
doesn't just mean
religious rules
and regulations
it means
in Hebrew
the word Torah
means God's
instruction to us
his revelation
of who he is
who we are
in him
how he's called
us to live
our lives
and the psalmist
here says
blessed
or flourishing
or happy
fruitful
abundant
is the person
who takes
on God's word
and delights
in it
who allows
God
who meditates
on God's word
who allows
God's word
into their heart
to shape them
who ponders it
and consumes it
and thinks
about it
Psalm 19
says
Psalm 119
says
the one
who hides
God's word
deep in his
heart
or as Jesus
says
the one
who allows
God's word
to abide
in him
and look at
verse 3
he compares
these two
he says
the one
who's hidden
God's word
in his heart
that his life
is shaped
by it
this person
is like a tree
similar to
John 15
right
and he says
it's a tree
that's planted
by streams
of living water
who yields
its fruit
in the season
whose leaf
does not
wither
in all
that he
does
prospers
what happens
to a tree
that's planted
by streams
of living water
well two things
it's steady
and sturdy
it's not
blown over
in the wind
and the trials
and the storms
because its root
system is robust
but the other
thing is
it's always
alive
because it's
plugged into
the source
of life
Jeremiah 17
has a similar
picture
it says
it does not
fear
when the
drought
comes
when
just imagine
with me
hypothetically
imagine
there's this
worldwide
pandemic
right
and for
three years
life is
interrupted
and school
is online
and church
is online
and community
group is online
and you can't
be community
are you
embedded
close to the
source of life
do you know
how to get
God's word
into you
so that even
when the
drought
and anxiety
and the
fear
and the
heat
comes
you're
still able
to bear
much fruit
Jeremiah
says
he does
not fear
when the
heat
comes
he is
not anxious
in the
year of
drought
his leaves
are always
green
always bearing
fruit
but the point
here in
Psalm 1
is that it's
rock solid
sturdy
when there's
trials and
the storms
come
when hardship
and difficulty
comes
it's not
blown over
now in
verse 3
where he says
he always
prospers
does that
mean that
the follower
of Jesus
is just
life is
always rosy
no trials
no difficulty
not at all
it's saying
that despite
the difficulties
despite the
hardships
when the
hardship
comes
they won't
overwhelm you
because your
roots are
deeply embedded
in the source
of life
and so look
at verse 4
he contrasts
the wicked
he says
the one
whose life
is devoid
of God's
word
are not
so
they are
like chaff
that the
wind drives
away
do you know
what chaff
is
when a
farmer
sifts the
wheat
the chaff
is the
kind of
dry outer
casing
that just
gets blown
away
and so you
can keep
the kernel
it's like
think of
dry leaves
that just
get blown
in the
wind
and so the
psalmist
says here
you have a
tree that's
deeply embedded
its root
system has
gone wide
and here
you have
dry leaves
that get
blown away
in the
storm
and the
point is
that when
the heat
comes
when difficulty
comes
where is
your root
system
what is
abiding
you
what word
is shaping
you
Jesus
says that
to bear
much fruit
we must
abide in
him
and the
way that
we abide
in him
is by
having his
word
abiding
in us
here is a
man a
woman a
mother
father a
son or
daughter
who are
so rooted
themselves in
God's
word that
God's word
has rooted
them even
in the
storms
and so
come what
may drought
or harvest
good times
or bad
feast or
famine
promotion
or job
loss
here is a
person who
has let
God's word
shape them
and anchor
them and
root them
it's the
predominant voice
in their
life it's
their security
their identity
their worldview
now
coming back
to the
first thing
that we
saw that
are strange
in this
passage
do you
see why
Jesus says
if you
abide in
me and
you let
my words
abide in
you ask
whatever you
wish and
it will be
done for
you
do you
see why
Jesus can
say that
Jesus is
not just
saying that
he is a
genie and
he's giving
you endless
lamps to
run
right
Jesus is
not just
saying he
has a
blank check
ask whatever
you want
you want to
go to Japan
this week
just ask him
right
Jesus is
saying that
if you
abide in
Christ and
you let
his words
so shape
your worldview
and who
you are
your identity
your security
your hopes
your fears
your anxieties
you'll become
the kind of
person that
your prayers
are so aligned
to him
that it will
be safe for
him to give
you whatever
you ask
your prayers
will become
the kind
of prayers
that are
the things
that you'd
pray if
you were in
heaven
ask whatever
you wish
and it will
be done for
you
because your
life will
see the
world the
way that
Christ sees
it
your life
will be
shaped by
his word
if you
abide in
me and if
you let
my words
abide in
you you
can be
sure that
your prayers
will be the
kind of
prayers I
love to
answer
so practically
how should
we do
this
what should
we do
well
last week
we gave
you four
things
can you
remember
what they
were
anybody
daily
decisively
honestly
surrenderedly
okay
I was
rebuked this
week for
not having
the word
finished with
an ly
last week
so here's
five more
words
how can we
abide in
Christ's word
and let
Christ's word
abide in us
this week
daily
openly
communally
memory
family
five words
to remember
daily
we spoke
about this
last week
the way to
have Christ's
word deeply
abiding in us
is to make
sure that
we are
abiding
in Christ's
word
we said
it earlier
Jesus is
not simply
asking us
just to
tick off
a daily
to-do
list
but he
is asking
us to
daily
start off
our day
by having
Jesus Christ
and who he
is
shape us
and our
worldview
and friends
it's impossible
to have
Christ's word
saturate our
hearts
unless we're
allowing it
to saturate
us
and so here's
the challenge
each day
preferably
each morning
before your
day starts
get up a
little earlier
get into
God's word
and let
who Jesus
is shape
you by
his word
let him
tell you
what is
true and
real
let him
tell you
who he
is
as you
go into
your day
and let
him tell
you who
you are
in him
as you
go into
your day
and so that
as you
walk into
the office
the word
that's residing
in your
heart
is not
you better
not stuff
up today
the word
is my
life is
in Christ
my life
is hidden
with Christ
and my
hope is
in him
and so
every day
start off
the day
letting God's
word
abide in
you
okay
now if you
don't know
how to do
that
ask somebody
ask one of
the elders
ask Celeste
ask a mature
follower of
Jesus
Henry and
Florence
will love to
help you
I'm sure
Colin and
Kristen would
be great
ask somebody
that's a
mature follower
of Jesus
how do I
have a daily
devotion
Frank and
Teresa have
helped hundreds
of people
over the years
get into
God's word
join us on
the watermark
bible reading
plan
okay if you
haven't started
350 days to
go still
you can join
us it's not
too late
get into
God's word
each day
but you've
got to do
more than
that
okay
you've got to
not just
abide in
God's word
you've got to
let God's word
abide in you
so the second
thing is not
just daily
openly
what do I
mean by
that
what I
mean by
that is
you've got
to not
just read
God's word
you've got
to let
God's word
read you
okay
what I
mean by
that is
this
in other
words you
have to
allow God's
word to
challenge you
to examine
you
to question
you
to scrutinize
your life
you've got to
read God's
word and let
God's word
read you
so let me
give you an
example this
morning from
our Bible
reading plan
this morning
if you're with
us you would
have read
Psalm 9
right
Psalm 9
starts off
like this
I give
thanks to
the Lord
with my
whole heart
well just
stop there
am I the
kind of person
that knows
how to give
thanks to
the Lord
with my
whole heart
when life
is good
when life
is bad
when trials
and storms
come
when everything's
going well
when everything's
going bad
do I know
how to give
thanks to
God with my
whole life
well here's
one from
this week
I think on
Thursday
if you're with
us we read
Luke chapter 6
at the end of
Luke 6
it says this
love your
enemies
do good
and lend
expecting
nothing from
those that
you lend
to
you'll be
like your
sons of
the most
high
who is
kind to
the ungrateful
and to
the evil
when I read
that that
just arrested
me
God is
kind to
the ungrateful
and to
the wicked
and then he
says
you be
likewise
well friends
to read
God's word
openly
means
God
am I
kind
to those
that are
ungrateful
let me just
tell you
I'm not
okay
I don't
have a lot
of patience
for people
that are
ungrateful
but here
God is
saying
Kevin
are you
going to
let my
word
abide
in you
are you
going to
let it
scrutinize
you
why am
I
impatient
with
people
well it's
because
I'm
selfish
and I'm
self-righteous
and I'm
opinionated
and I
think I'm
better than
others
and that
means I
need to
get on my
knees
and I
need to
confess
and I
need to
let Jesus
say
Christ
I'm so
sorry
come and
have your
way in
my life
Jesus
I want
to be
more like
you
okay so
read God's
word
daily
read it
openly
thirdly
read it
communally
you know
up until
500 years
ago
nobody had
their own
individual
Bibles
we only
got our
own
individual
Bibles
when the
printing
press
was
invented
and when
the Bible
was translated
from Latin
into everyday
language
and so
up until
500 years
ago
for most
of church
history
the way
that people
knew God's
word
and got
the Bible
into them
was communally
they'd have
others read
it to them
others explain
it to them
they would
discuss it
they would
debate it
they would
allow one
another to
question them
and so
read the
Bible
communally
in other
words who
in your
life is
showing you
God's
word
opening it
up to
you
but also
questioning
you
you know
in the
18th
century
during the
great
awakening
revival
in
England
John
Wesley
in his
church
he
organized
everyone
in his
church
in what
he called
bands
groups of
four to
eight
people
and they
would meet
sometimes
once a
week
and they
would ask
each other
bunch of
questions
one of the
questions
they'd ask
is
is God
being alive
and real
to you
how are
you seeing
are you
loving people
more this
week than
you were
last week
what area
of your
life are
you're
confessing
but one
of the
questions
that they'd
always ask
each other
is is
scripture
alive and
real to
you
is scripture
speaking to
you
what promises
of scripture
are reassuring
you and what
challenges of
scripture are
challenging you
and so they'd
ask each other
these questions
in other words
they were
allowing the
community of
brothers and
sisters to
speak God's
word to
them
and you know
in my life
most of the
scriptures that
are most
precious to
me are
scriptures that
other people
have shared
with me
at times of
great need
or just out
of encouragement
and with
someone a
brother shares
the scripture
and it comes
alive it has
like it roots
itself in my
heart and so
read the
scripture daily
openly
community
fourth thing
memory okay
I know it
doesn't make
sense to say
read scripture
memory but
you're with me
it's got to
end in a
why right
memory
I want to
challenge you
here to
memorize
scripture
to memorize
scripture
one of the
best ways to
get scripture
inside of you
is to not
just read it
but to try
and memorize
it to say
it over and
over and
over again
so that it
drops from
your head
to your
heart
I've done
this over
the years
when I was
a student
I tried to
memorize the
Sermon on
the Mount
and the
book of
Ephesians
and the
book of
Colossians
and these
have been
some of
the richest
times as
I've just
spent hours
going over
God's word
and so I
want to
encourage you
I want to
challenge you
when you're
on the
bus
when you're
on the
MTR
delete that
social media
app
you don't
really need
it
get into
God's
word
reading it
thinking
about it
memorizing
it
and so
here's a
challenge
for you
if you're
a student
any
students
here
okay
one
two
okay
Tess
the only
student
here
if you're
a student
here's a
challenge
okay
I want to
challenge you
this year
to memorize
a hundred
verses of
scripture
okay
a hundred
is not
that long
it's like
the book
of Colossians
or the book
of Philippians
it's only
four chapters
the book
of James
is a hundred
verses
later this
year we're
going to
preach through
James
if you can
memorize
the book
of James
or a hundred
verses by
the end
of this
year
Oscar will
take you
out for
dinner
okay
no no
no
I will
take you
out for
dinner
okay
here's a
challenge
this is
recorded
if you
can
memorize
a hundred
verses
this year
I will
take you
out for
dinner
at the
end
of
2023
okay
because
students
can't
afford
dinner
that's
why
no no
no
anybody
that
memorizes
the book
of James
I will
take you
out for
dinner
okay
by the
end
of the
year
it's
a
challenge
but
seriously
I
really
want to
encourage
you
memorize
scripture
get it
into
you
Dawson
Trotman
who
started
the
navigators
used to
memorize
one
verse
a day
every
single
day
before
he
started
navigators
he
was
a
truck
driver
and so
you
just
drive
his
truck
memorizing
scripture
and after
10 years
that's
three and a
half thousand
verses
of the
bible
it's like
half the
new
testament
you can
do it
memorize
scripture
okay
here's
the last
one
family
friends
for those
of us
that are
parents
can ask
us
what
words
are
shaping
our
kids
lives
what
words
are we
speaking
to
them
what
words
are we
sending
our
kids
into
school
or
university
or the
workplace
with
when we
put them
to sleep
at night
when we
are around
the table
at dinner
time
when we
wake up
in the
morning
is it
the
wonder
of
Jesus
is it
the
magnificence
of
God's
word
is what
Henry
shared
this
morning
that
God
is
utterly
glorious
more
glorious
than
all
creation
and yet
he
knows
our
name
we
are
not
specks
of
dust
and
what
word
to go
friends
are we
speaking
that
word
over
our
kids
is it
the
wonder
of
Jesus
and
his
faithfulness
is it
his
amazing
grace
and
his
everlasting
love
or are
we
just
reminding
our
kids
like an
echo
of the
culture
do
well
at
school
don't
be
a
failure
be
better
than
others
don't
bring
shame
on
our
family
friends
are
reminding
our
kids
that
God
is
a
faithful
rock
he's
the
sovereign
God
upon
which
they
can
build
their
lives
Deuteronomy
six
says
this
we'll
close
with
this
love
the
Lord
your
God
with
all
your
heart
all
your
soul
and
all
your
strength
and
these
words
that I
command
you
today
shall
be
on
your
heart
not
just
your
mind
but
in
your
heart
it
says
teach
them
to
your
children
talk
of
them
when
you
sit
around
the
house
when
you
walk
on
the
path
when
you
drive
in
the
car
when
you
lie
down
and
when
you
rise
write
them
on
the
door
posts
of
your
houses
and
of
your
gates
that
they
will
be
in
your
heart
friends
if
you're
a
parent
today
what
words
are
you
sending
your
children
to
the
world
with
let
them
abide
in
Christ
by
having
Christ's
word
abide
in
them
Jesus
says
abide
in
me
as
I
abide
in
you
I
am
the
you
are
the
branch
apart
from
me
you
can
do
nothing
abide
in
me
and
let
my
words
abide
in
you
and
if
you
do
that
ask
anything
in
my
name
and
this
will
be
done
for
you
let's
pray
together
Lord
Jesus
this
morning
we've
really
just
looked
at
one
verse
half
a
verse
really
and
yet
God
it
is
challenging
Father
if
we
are
honest
many
of
us
our
lives
are
shaped
by so
many
other
words
many
other
voices
the
voices
of
our
parents
the
voices
of
some
of
the
caregiver
a
teacher
a
friend
a
spouse
but
actually
God
for many
of us
it's
the
voice
of
our
culture
it's
the
voice
of
the
office
place
it's
the
voice
that
says
do
more
be
more
try
harder
earn
your
lot
in
life
Jesus
we
need
to
hear
your
word
you
speak
a
better
word
God
a
better
word
than
the
word
of
grace
God
you
speak
to
our
hearts
you
tell
us
that
we
are
yours
Father
God
I
pray
for
every
one
of
my
brothers
and
sisters
here
this
morning
that
we
will
be
individuals
and
we
will
be
a
church
that
has
your
word
abiding
in
us
God
come
and
let
your
word
flood
our
hearts
help
us
God
to
do
Lord
I
pray
as
we
go
into
work
this
week
as
we
go
into
the
city
of
Hong
Kong
and
God
next
week
as
we
have
family
reunion
dinners
and
Chinese
New
Year
time
God
that
can
sometimes
be
stressful
and
sometimes
can
be
difficult
God
I
pray
God
Christ
God
we
are
we
are
and
we
will
encounter
you
in
your
word
and
the
word
of
our
parents
and
the
word
of
our
heart
the
word
of
Christ
will
be
our
word
Jesus
we
pray
come
and
have
your
way
we
pray
this
in
your
wonderful
and
your
gracious
name
Amen
I
say
Thank you.