Matthew 10:22 - Enduring To The End By Abiding In Christ!
Matthew 10:22 - Enduring To The End By Abiding In Christ!
Matthew 10:22 (NLT) And everyone will hate you because of your
allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved.
INTRODUCTION
A relationship with God is our only means of finding
fulfillment and satisfaction in life. But it isn't always easy. One of the
most frustrating aspects of that relationship is couched in Matthew
25:5: "The bridegroom was a long time in coming." The primary purpose
of this parable is to depict the return of Jesus, but the dynamic
of waiting applies to so much more. Abraham waited long years for
God to fulfill a promise. Joseph waited a lifetime for his dream to
become reality. The Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years before God
delivered them through Moses.
One of the keys of life with God, apparently, is waiting. We
can be encouraged by the fact that, according to Hebrews 6:12, it is
"through faith and patience" that we inherit God's promises. Delay is not
his denial of those promises. It's part of the process of fulfilling
them. [NIV Once A Day Bible re Mat. 25:5]
Endurance grows out of commitment to Jesus Christ. Jesus
predicted that his followers would be severely persecuted by those who
hated what he stood for. In the midst of terrible persecutions,
however, they could have hope, knowing that salvation was theirs. Times
of trial serve to sift true Christians from false or fair-weather
Christians. When you are pressured to give up and turn your back on Christ,
don't do it. Remember the benefits of standing firm, and continue to
live for Christ ... Standing firm to the end is not a way to be saved
but the evidence that a person is really committed to Jesus.
Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a
truly devoted life. [Life Application SB]
One of Jesus' favorite words was a Greek word often translated
"remain," "stay," or "abide." It describes a profound, intimate, and
enduring relationship. For example, Jesus used this word when he said,
"You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings"
(John 8:31). The idea is that our lives are fully formed by Jesus'
word. Jesus described how the Son is in the Father and the Father is
in the Son (John 14:10-11). Likewise, when we remain in Christ, the
Son is in us, and we are in the Father and the Son (John 17:21).
Both the Father and the Son come and make their home within us. This
mutual indwelling is precisely what it means to remain in Christ. We
cannot gain the permanence of our relationship by our own effort. This
relationship is only made permanent by the gracious initiative of God
indwelling our lives through his Spirit. This means commitment on the part
of both God and us. God's dwelling in us and our dwelling in God is
not a fleeting or temporary commitment but an enduring, permanent,
and eternal relationship (see 1 John 2:14, 17). [One Year NLT SB]
COMMENTARY
Enduring By Abiding In Christ
There are those who feel that they must be constantly
laboring for the Lord in order to meet God's high standards. Jesus gave a
clear picture of what our relationship to Him ought to be like. He is
the vine, the source of our life. We are the branches, the place
where fruit is produced. As we receive life from Christ, the natural,
inevitable result is that fruit is produced in our lives.
In our zeal to produce "results" for our Lord, we sometimes
become so intent on fruit production that we neglect abiding in Christ.
We may feel that "abiding" is not as productive or that it takes
too much time away from our fruit production. Yet Jesus said that it
is not our activity that produces fruit, it is our relationship
with Him.
Jesus gave an important warning to His disciples. He
cautioned that if they ever attempted to live their Christian life apart
from an intimate relationship with Him, they would discover that they
ceased to produce any significant results. They might exert great
effort for the kingdom of God, yet when they stopped to account for
their lives, they would find only barrenness. One of the most dramatic
acts Jesus ever performed was cursing a fig tree that had failed to
produce fruit (Mk 11:14). Are you comfortable in abiding, or are you
impatient to be engaged in activity? If you will remain steadfastly in
fellowship with Jesus, a great harvest will be the natural by-product.
[Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby]
My dearest child, It breaks my heart to see the way you struggle
and struggle in your own strength. So often you feel depleted. You
push and fret and end up feeling burned out and alone. There is no
need for you to go on like this. I long to give you inner strength.
Draw on my resources and live as you were designed to live--as a
branch attached to the vine of my eternal love. All that you require
will flow from my abundance to your need. And when my life has filled
your emptiness to overflowing, it will branch out into the lives of
those around you. I am the vine; you are the branch. Come to me and
live. Abundantly yours, God [Postcards from Heaven by Claire
Cloninger]
The Christian life is not a matter of trying, but of relying.
[Victor Bible Reader's Companion]
I am preparing you for what is on the road ahead, just around
the bend. Take time to be still in My Presence so that I can
strengthen you. The busier you become, the more you need this time apart
with Me. So many people think that time spent with Me is a luxury
they cannot afford. As a result, they live and work in their own
strength - until that becomes depleted. Then they either cry out to Me
for help or turn away in bitterness.
How much better it is to walk close to Me, depending on My
strength and trusting Me in every situation. If you live in this way, you
will do less but accomplish far more. Your unhurried pace of living
will stand out in this rush-crazed age. Some people may deem you
lazy, but many more will be blessed by your peacefulness. Walk in the
Light with Me, and you will reflect Me to the watching world. (Isa.
64:4; John 15:5; Psa. 36:9) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
"I am the true vine. Isaiah once told a parable about Israel
being a vineyard and My Father being disappointed in the fruit, but I
want you to know that I am the true Israel. I came to represent
everyone My Father has ever called to be His own. Everything He wanted
His people to be, I am. You never have to worry about fruitlessness
if you let Me live in you.
"That's what branches do: they sit on the vine. Did you
really think you had to strain and strive to eke out some semblance of
fruit? What would your efforts accomplish that My Father needs? Yes, He
appreciates the heart behind your effort, but He appreciates even more your
awareness that without Me, you can do nothing. When you rest in Me and let
Me live in you, fruitfulness will happen. I will spill out of you
and affect those around you. I call you to be before I ever urge you
to do. Whatever it takes, you must learn to be in Me and let Me be
in you.
"I don't want you to ask me how to do that. Any words I can
say about 'how' will cause you to shift into self-effort to make it
happen. What I'm telling you instead is simple but difficult. Though it
isn't complicated, it goes against the human nature you have been
steeped in since birth. I want you to meditate on Me by faith to
envision My life flowing through your legs and out of your feet, through
your arms and out of your hands, through your heart, into your head,
and out of your mouth. Hold that image in your mind. Then go live.
That's it. Trust Me and see. I am the life that flows through you."
Jesus, tune me to Your flow. Fill my mind and heart with a
picture of Your life within me. And please bear much fruit for Your
glory. [The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by Chris
Tiegreen re John 15:1, 5]
[Difficult Wording, But Highly Spiritual; Read Slowly And
Prayerfully]
Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill. Whether
it be the wormwood of woe, or the cloying surfeit of earthly
delight, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus will take bitterness from
the one, and satiety from the other. Live near to Jesus, Christian,
and it is a matter of secondary importance whether thou livest on
the mountain of honour or in the valley of humiliation. Living near
to Jesus, thou art covered with the wings of God, and underneath
thee are the everlasting arms. Let nothing keep thee from that
hallowed intercourse, which is the choice privilege of a soul wedded to
THE WELL-BELOVED. Be not content with an interview now and then, but
seek always to retain his company, for only in his presence hast thou
either comfort or safety. Jesus should not be unto us a friend who
calls upon us now and then, but one with whom we walk evermore. Thou
hast a difficult road before thee: see, O traveller to heaven, that
thou go not without thy guide. Thou hast to pass through the fiery
furnace; enter it not unless, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, thou
hast the Son of God to be thy companion. Thou hast to storm the
Jericho of thine own corruptions: attempt not the warfare until, like
Joshua, thou hast seen the Captain of the Lord's host, with his sword
drawn in his hand. Thou art to meet the Esau of thy many temptations:
meet him not until at Jabbok's brook thou hast laid hold upon the
angel, and prevailed. In every case, in every condition, thou wilt need
Jesus; but most of all, when the iron gates of death shall open to
thee. Keep thou close to thy soul's Husband, lean thy head upon his
bosom, ask to be refreshed with the spiced wine of his pomegranate, and
thou shalt be found of him at the last, without spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing. Seeing thou hast lived with him, and lived in him
here, thou shalt abide with him for ever. [Morning and Evening by
Charles H. Spurgeon re John 15:4]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2006/20060113-1025.html
VIDEO SERMON ON THIS PASSAGE BY ELDER JIM GILLEY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmrUxDyki-E
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON EXPERIENCING GOD:
http://sda.biggytv.com/watch/Revive!_-_Dwight_Nelson:_Experiencing_Gods_Grace/revive/
RECENT BIBLE PROPHECY SERIES ON REVELATION:
http://revelationtodaylive.com/live
ONE OF THE GREAT HYMNS OF PRAISE:
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross [Live]:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrhAgOFzsE
LINK FOR PERSONAL BIBLE STUDIES:
Send request to: fggibbs@aBible.com
