Jesus Christ Abides in Us, We Must Abide in Him (Onward Christian Soldiers #47)

TEXT: John 14:19-20: "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."

Our lesson today is titled "Jesus Abides in Us, We Must Abide in Him" 

From our Lord's words, "You in Me, and I in you," we learn that there are two aspects of our new relationship with Christ. These can be expressed in two simple statements:

1. Christ is in the believer.
2. The believer is IN CHRIST.

In previous lessons, we have considered how Christ is in us. Today, we will consider our responsibility to abide in Him.

Evan Hopkins, the author of the classic Christian book, The Law of Liberty in the Spiritual Life, once explained to his six-year-old son what it means to "abide in Christ." Mr. Hopkins took a card and drew a circle. Inside of the circle, he listed all of the things that Christ is to us: love, peace, joy, strength, freedom, righteousness, and many more.

Putting the point of his pencil in the center of the circle, he said, "There, son, you see that pencil? I want you to stay in Christ just as the pencil is inside the circle. Inside of Christ, you will find everything to make you happy and loving and obedient. But there are a lot of little doors all around the circle. It is when you go out by one of these doors that you are no longer abiding in Christ."

Then Mr. Hopkins drew little doors leading out from the circle. These doors represented the sins that take us out from abiding in Christ: immorality, jealousy, unforgiveness, hatred, envy, and many more.

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