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Spring Training: AbideSample

Spring Training: Abide

DAY 1 OF 35

The passage we’ll be reading together over the next five weeks during Spring Training: Abide is John 14–16. This introduction is intended to help you prepare to read these chapters by providing some context.

Introduction to John 14–16

A chill ran down the spines of the disciples gathered in the upper room. Jesus had just dropped a series of bombshells on them. Right when things were starting to come together, as the ministry was gaining momentum and making waves across the world, Jesus announced His departure. And He wouldn’t be taking anyone with Him. “Where I am going you cannot come” (John 13:33). This supper together would be their last.

The arrival of Jesus brought a new stage in the redemptive work of the Triune God. As the Gospel of John says, the Son of God “took on flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When mankind was cast out of the Garden, fellowship with God was broken and a separation occurred. But God promised that He would dwell among His people again. That happened partially through the Tabernacle and the Temple. But now, the long-promised Messiah had finally come in person. The disciples were just beginning to understand, just starting to reckon with the reality of the Incarnation. God had become man. Jesus was God with us.

How could it already be His time to leave? What could this mean? When things had just started to come together for God’s people, it seemed as though they were all about to fall apart. In the next 24 hours, blood and tears would be shed. The tight-knit group seated around the table would disband, marked by denials and a brutal betrayal.

It is into this atmosphere of confusion and fear that Jesus said to His disciples at the beginning of John 14: “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). The truths taught in the Farewell Discourse, John chapters 14–16, explain why Christ’s departure is not the bad news it appears to be.

First, Jesus knew that He must suffer and be put to death as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. Beyond this, Jesus also knew that He must rise victorious from the dead and ascend to the right hand of the Father. These movements—suffering and death, resurrection and ascension—are essential aspects of the work of Christ on our behalf, the gospel we believe and proclaim. We can now understand, at a theological level, why each step was necessary for accomplishing our salvation.

But things were not so clear to those gathered in that upper room. What they knew was that they had experienced a personal, up-close, day-to-day relationship with Jesus. He had transformed their lives. And now, He was leaving them. How could this be anything other than a letdown and disappointment? The looming prospect of His absence was a crushing blow.

If we stop to think about it, similar questions still press on us today. Why did Christ choose to dwell with us for such a short time? Wouldn’t it be better if He were still here? Why did He have to leave? Why can’t we see Jesus and be with Him now?

For the next five weeks, we’ll reflect on Christ’s answer to these questions. As He prepared to depart this world, Jesus was convinced that His ascension would not be the end of our walking with Him and learning from Him. It would not mean the end of our dwelling with Him, nor would it mean that His presence would be cut off from us. Instead, He would live in us in a more constant, more intimate way—through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, our Helper.

Perhaps we have too often failed to appreciate the full gravity of the gift we received when the Father and Son sent the Spirit to live in us. We live in a materialistic world, a world blind to the spiritual realities that lie at the heart of every action and thought and desire. In our pride, we default to self-reliance. We seek to control life through sheer willpower or positive thinking. We soak up tips and tricks, we rush to adopt new technologies. It feels more natural for us to Google something than to pray about it.

But, in all of this, we may be missing the depths and vibrancy of the spiritual life Christ promised us and called us into. We have been given a source of life and joy the world cannot understand. We have been given a source of power that no circumstance can overcome and no enemy can withstand. We have God in us, the Holy Spirit of the living God. Spring Training: Abide is an attempt to grow more deeply into this life-transforming reality. We can abide in Christ, and He can abide in us, through the Holy Spirit. Abiding in Him is the path to fruitfulness and joy.

About this Plan

Spring Training: Abide

Spring Training is our annual spiritual disciplines emphasis at First Baptist Dallas. The plan for Abide focuses on Christ’s words about the Holy Spirit in John 14–16, encouraging you to read carefully and think through how this passage applies to you. Prayerfully meditating on God’s Word can lead to a deeper daily relationship with Him. Each week in Abide is built around reading and reflecting on the same passage every weekday, then taking an extended time over the weekend to respond to the Lord by praying and answering application questions.

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We would like to thank First Baptist Dallas for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://firstdallas.org/abide/