Just Between Us...

On Tuesday night of this week, Pastor Sam was the guest speaker at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Today's blog is based on the sermon he gave at that service.

In John 15:1-17, we read of the allegory likening our relationship with Christ to "the vine and the branches": that is, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and the implication is that if we are in Him we will bear fruit. The fruit is the evidence of our connectedness with our Lord.

Pastor Sam pointed out that, in the sharing of this allegory, Jesus gives a clear warning: "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned" (John 15:6). Yes, it's still true: Jesus is the only way to heaven.

And let's remember who Jesus was talking to. This was not an address to the crowd: this was a private conversation between Jesus and His eleven faithful disciples. (Judas, who had demonstrated himself to be unfaithful, had already left the room and was not party to this final discourse.)

What is Jesus saying, privately, to you and me?

My son, remain in Me.
My daughter, it's to My Father's glory that your bear much fruit.
My children, you are My friends if you do what I command.
My friends, I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last.

Friends, are you remaining in Him?
Have you gone to the places He has sent you?
Are you bearing lasting fruit?

The implication is that some of us are not remaining in Him, and are therefore withering away; some of us have not gone to where Jesus wants us to go, and perhaps we don't even realize that in doing so we have detached ourselves from the vine; some of us, like the fig tree Jesus cursed (see Mark 11:12-25), are showing off a display of huge healthy leaves but there is nothing in us that will feed and sustain the people who come to us expecting to receive something that will nourish their spirits. And, as Pastor Sam read first from the John passage, then reiterated again (twice) in his sermon, the unatttached branch is only good for fire. It's a triadic warning given in love, an appeal to ask you to make sure you are completely in Christ.

Friends, remain in Jesus. There is no value in being near the vine; we must be in the vine. Make sure and be sure of where you stand.