Abide in Christ - John 15

You know, a man once said to me, Keith, you're a preacher, you can spend the day in prayer, you want to come and get in my boots. There's no possibility of praying like that. I'm a businessman and I've got to run.

I can't pray like that. I said, you're a liar. You're a liar.

He got such a shock, he began to weep. I said, you know what's the tragedy of you is you're lying to yourself. That's a lie.

There's no such a thing as no time for God. And sell your business, sir. Change your job, sir, if you have no time for God.

You're not in the will of God. God will give you a better job, but don't you dare neglect God for work or money, business or money. He came back to me, you know.

I think it was a year afterwards and said, Keith, you were right. I started being ruthless and put aside things that didn't matter, that didn't matter, that I thought didn't matter. And there was so much that didn't matter that I found all the time I needed for God on earth.

And now for the first time in life, I'm walking with God. Don't lie to yourself and say, if you be ruthless, you don't need people like you need God. Be ruthless.

You're not neglecting your wife, if you're not always with her. I'll tell you what, don't neglect God and the little bit of time you give your wife, she'll treasure for all eternity. But neglect God and give your wife all the time you think she needs, she'll curse you.

In her heart, so will your children. And your work won't be blessed. I'm not talking about prospering, but the devil will tell you the work, the work, the work.

Let me tell you, sir, the five hours you think you need for that work, watch God do it in one hour, if you don't neglect him. Don't neglect God. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.

Oh, he weeps saying that. Don't doubt it. By the time you say that word about you, he weeps.

He weeps like no man ever wept for you. He didn't only weep on earth, sir. Don't tell me it's an emotionalism I'm bringing now.

If Christ wept on earth, he weeps now in heaven. Don't you doubt that. He's no different in character, or heart, or compassion, or patience, or mercy, or hurt.

Every branch in me that bringeth not forth fruit, every branch that beareth fruit, he purges it. Isn't it lovely? Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. But every branch that beareth fruit, the moment there's fruit, the moment there's reality, he doesn't wait.

He purges it. He purges it that it may bring forth more fruit, now yet clean through the word. I love that which I have spoken unto you.

Now comes the most important, vital verse in the entire Bible for a Christian. There's nothing more vital for God to say to a Christian than this verse. You can go through the Bible 400 times, and you'll still agree with me.

There's no verse God holds out to the Christian as vital as this. So listen carefully now. Abide in me.

That's a command. And I in you. Abide in me.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except that abide in the vine. No more can ye except ye abide in me. Don't do that now, but you've got to do one thing.

Trust while anything comes to you, whatever comes, but do this one thing only every day of life. This is your one priority of life. Don't eat, but do this.

You have more chance of survival not eating food than not doing this. Don't doubt that. Abide in me.

Abide in me. This is the one thing you do to survive, and out of it will come fruit. No matter what comes upon you that God allows, will just be fruit and fruit and fruit and fruit and fruit.

It isn't that God isn't purging or doesn't want to and isn't busy with you. But if you're not doing this, no matter what he does, it will all be ruined. So you take care.

Now this is your responsibility. Abide in me. I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except that abide in the vine. No more can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine.

Ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Don't doubt it.

God knows how to bring it. He knows how to bring it. Trust him now.

The same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye can do nothing. Nothing.

Don't doubt it. Don't try to do anything for Jesus apart from abiding in him. Don't try to preach.

Don't try to do anything apart from abiding in him. You can do nothing apart from this. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth of the branch, withered.

Men gather them, cast them into the fire. They are burned. Abide in me.

I in you. You know John wrote these words that he heard Jesus said. But then John preached.

Oh he was a great preacher. Do you want to know how God expounded through this man turned to one John? The first epistle of John. The first letter of John.

He that saith, he abideth in him. He that saith, he does the one thing Christ cried out you have to do for anything of any value to happen in Christianity. Without this you have no ability.

Nothing can ever happen in your life of any value unless you do this. And this is your part. He that saith, he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Abide in Jesus and you become like Jesus. You have to. God will make sure of that.

He that saith, he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Do you? As a result of abiding in Christ. It doesn't end there.

The same chapter 2 verse 28. Now little children abide in him. Why? He always tells us why.

That when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed. You better tell people no matter what your theology, abide in him. Little children, that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed.

Before him it is coming. Chapter 3 verse 6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not. Oh my.

It's not talking about sin with perfection by the way. But let me tell you something. There's no victory in Jesus apart from abiding in him.

You want victory young man. You want victory young girl. You've got to learn the one thing.

You can come out in meetings a thousand times and bow down for every single thing the holiness movement or any other movement can bring about. Being filled with the spirit and the victory. You can come out to the day you die but until you get up from your knees and I don't despise any encounter with God or meeting or absolute surrender that Andrew Murray says is so vital to be filled with the spirit and controlled by the spirit.

But let me tell you. Whatever you come out unless you determine from that moment to the day you die you will always lose ground. You will always unless you determine to do this is the greatest priority in life.

Abiding in Christ. That's your part. This is a discipline.

It is the greatest discipline in life of communing with God. There's nothing that matters more than communing with God. Don't doubt that.

But who does it cost because there's nothing more the devil does to try and keep you away from anything in life than this. You think your sins are what the devil did. Your sins were the result of what the devil did by keeping you from the quiet time.

If you didn't miss the quiet time you wouldn't have 90 percent of the failures of your life. If you didn't miss getting into God getting abiding in such a way that you don't leave him behind when you open the door to leave the closet. You've met with him in such a way when you open the door you walk with him through the day.

That's a quiet time. Anything less is a lie. If you fall asleep on your knees don't ever get on your knees again.

Don't lie. Don't waste time. Do what works.

Half an hour alive vital with God is better than two hours lying to yourself that you're communing with God. If in this morning and this entire day and yesterday and the day before I don't care who you are professor of theology doctor of theology I don't care if you're the world's greatest preacher if the quiet time is not intact you're a grief to God. You're as real as your quiet time no matter who you are in earth you're not as real as your testimony was 20 years ago and one week ago.

You are as real as your quiet time. You want to know five ten things of what it is what's vital reality nothing just one thing the quiet time.

The ten things of the result of the quiet time take away the quiet thing take away the communing take away the abiding in Christ and you're left with nothing that God can do for you nothing though you're the greatest orator on earth suddenly you're standing in the pulpit without God and I fear nothing more in life than to stand in the pulpit without God preacher don't get in the pulpit until you've soaked yourself in prayer until you're sure you're abiding with him come with him from the presence of God don't come at all don't dare there's no such a dangerous place in the world than the preacher to be alone in the pulpit of his own abilities he does the work of the devil he means the greatest theologian on earth you need God in the pulpit or don't get in the pulpit you need God without

him you can do nothing and there's one way the abiding the abiding is not an act of faith or relying on yesterday's quiet time with the day before or a week today is how real you are you're as real as your quiet time don't doubt it my daddy when he was saved he shook us he shook the world my daddy we looked at him we trembled I shook I trembled I wept at my daddy's life what made him so godly that our our nation still hasn't recovered from what God did in his life my daddy was one of the holiest men of God that ever lived on earth don't doubt that and I worship God I have the right to say it but what made him what made him that as he walked men just trembled and wept sometimes in their scores just standing weeping at the holiness of this man why one thing he never neglected the quiet time

the day he was saved to the day he died daddy was consumed with prayer his quiet time this this the seeking God this communing with God consumed his life he consumed his life and everything in life descended on being alone with Jesus when he walked away from that men wept men wept will they ever weep at your life ever you think being a great theologian is going through great degrees and studying no the little bit you've got with a vital reality of communing with God will shake the world when we come back to the quiet time we shook once when daddy had visitors about a few weeks after we saw him turn to God I was young and the visitors sat and they sat a little long and daddy got up and he began to weep and we thought what is this we all got up daddy says forgive me I don't want to offend

you but I have to go I have to go for you stay with my children stay with my wife but forgive me I have a meeting with Jesus Christ I cannot miss you see if I don't go now he said and he was battling to say this he didn't want to impress he just had to get away if I don't go now I won't be able to spend so much time with God and if I don't spend that much of time I won't be able to sleep my conscience and if I don't go to sleep by this time I won't be able to get up at this time if I don't get up at this time to spend this much time with God I can't walk with God through the day I won't be able to walk with God I'll fail God I know how much time and for the reason that I can walk with God and not be aggrieved to God and man forgive me I have to go to God now and he escaped everyone wept

you know my mother nearly died of fright and what he did to the we had to bring her water you know what he did to the guests but mommy mommy didn't die of shame after that we noticed the next time he had to do it not many people ever dare do it from then onwards but some of the world's greatest preachers have been in my home I don't know why God ever honored us so much but no matter who it was daddy would get up and leave with the same words sometimes less always backlinked have to say it if people kept him from God and he had to excuse himself people stood you know and they wept and said I've never known a man on earth and no one keeps him from God nothing keeps him from Jesus Christ nothing makes him miss are you like that nothing nothing will make you miss God my mother never wept

after that she never choked and embarrassed me my mother stood like someone standing to attention with such respect as she saw my father go because she knew this is why he is holy and other Christians are not holy don't doubt it you're as real as your quiet time you're as real as your quiet time don't doubt it my children knocking at the door and they boys daddy it's too late you can't stay come daddy and I stood there but I'm not finished with God and they got angry I said listen listen just once in your life listen if you never ask me again don't ever knock on this door again till the day I die unless someone is dying don't ever ever disturb me again now listen because I'd never have to tell you this let me tell you why boys because if I miss this time if I hurry this time I can't be to

you what you would want to the father you'll start weeping because of my mother I can take you to children who have whose fathers are preachers across the world my boys whose children weep those children weep because of the ungodliness of that man he can preach he can impress the crowds but he can't live it in the home and as you're real as you are in your home so if it doesn't work out there it works out nowhere I can take you my boys to wives across who have some of the greatest preachers names in the world that impress men and their wives do nothing but weep because in the unchrist like this the end your mother will soon weep through my life if I miss it if I miss it just once boys it might give me the opportunity and the chance to miss it again I've never missed God I've never hurried

God no matter who's waiting no matter what's happening I can't don't make me miss once your mother will start weeping the only reason I can be to her what you would want me to be to her and make her happy is this time boys they never ever knocked on the door again but I noticed my boys started never missing God midnight after their studies still and I say listen boy you're tired you've studied too much God doesn't expect this of you get to bed and get some sleep and he said daddy if I missed just once it might mean I was again I don't want to do it daddy do you think I was too cruel to them no thank God they'll never miss God you're as real as your quiet time you're as safe as your quiet time I have people across my nation have fallen in sin when the pulpits oh this is the day and age for

the pulpits to be ashamed as never before in the history of the this is the moment everywhere everywhere don't doubt it you say we mustn't preach it what's in the front pages of the newspapers and then why don't preach it we need to tell them why why so many men of the greatest the greatest preachers of the denominations are falling into sin and bringing such shame upon the churches thousands stagger over them who they brought to Christ you cannot believe how many preachers have fallen to sin from the evangelical even the holiness churches that used to be so stable and consistent there's no one that can point a finger and say it's theirs denominations every denomination the greatest preachers are falling why you know when they call me they fly me across the country and I say no no I stand

at his feet I could never face a man I could never they say you're coming for some reason they make this poor man get in the plane and there I have to go and they leave me and everybody forsakes me and this it's a man who's led 40 000 to Christ staggered the world with his abilities God was so with him and you know what I do I just weep I weep and I weep and I weep and I weep and I weep and some of those men only start weeping when they see someone weeping like me then they start weeping of the shame some of them their wives take guns and shoot themselves dead the shame that suddenly they find their husbands are in such sin you know what I've done I've never ever asked them what went wrong I've never ever said what went wrong I've told them I've told them you neglected God this could

never have happened the devil cannot touch you he cannot touch you if you don't neglect God you became such a mighty man of God because you were consumed in prayer and communing with God in the Bible that was your life that was your source of everything that happened but I guarantee you there came a day you neglected God probably for the work of God and the work of God became your sin that woman isn't your sin you had a greater sin that woman would have never happened if you didn't have a greater sin your great sin is you neglected God for the work of God I guarantee you the devil watched you he watched you through the years and he said I can't touch this man I can't do anything I cannot touch him because you just met with God I know that if you're going to ask it but I guarantee you

there came a day the devil sat up and looked at you as you began to neglect God for the work of God and you thought you could get away then the devil sat and I guarantee you he said now I'm going to get him and he got you you know what they've all said without exception not word perfect God sent you boy I didn't even know until you spoke now but that is my greatest sin it was the work of God I got too busy with and it became my greatest sin every other sin that's resulted is that sin it's a terrible sin to try and abide in this world without abiding in Christ it's a terrible terrible grief to God and you will become a grief to man you're as safe as your quiet time you're as safe as your quiet time you're as real as your quiet time now beloved the devil's watching you and he's trembling

and so is God watching you and he's waiting he'll be there for the meeting the only one that will miss the meeting place is you you'll miss the appointment God want every one of you that God is confronting I don't care if you're the greatest preacher in America sitting next to them be real I want every one of you that neglect God you say God forgive me for the sins that have resulted but for the greatest sin that caused these other sins that are in my life now and before I'm destroyed God I'm not going another step God I come for mercy and cleansing the blood from this grief I've been to thee by neglecting God himself for other things I come for cleansing in the blood but I come also with everything in my being to ask thee for the grace the grace Lord that from this day till the day I die

I will never neglect God again I will never neglect God for anything not even for the work of God no matter who it is standing there over me God will deal with him but I have to say God I want every one of you that neglect God to stand right now and say it's me God every one of you will you bow your heads please will you pray after me oh God have mercy on me for the grief I have given thee forgive me wash me in the blood of Christ through and through all the sins I've done that were the result of this sin please forgive me for but by thy grace I will never neglect thee again God not for anyone on earth teach me to pray that I may stay in tune with God and man in Jesus Christ's name amen