“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)
In yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Joy spoke on
John chapter 15. It is a familiar text to many Christians, perhaps so familiar
that we hear it without hearing it.
It is the loving explanation and warning that Jesus gives not to the multitude,
but to eleven of His disciples (Judas Iscariot, who had already left the
Passover dinner to betray Jesus, was not part of the conversation).
What has Jesus said to His
closest friends? I call you My friends because
I have let you in on the knowledge of who I am and what I am doing. But if you choose
to ignore My commands to you, then your mere friendship will not be sufficient
for entry into heaven. If you don’t personally obey My commands, then My
kingdom will have no use for your presence.
Pastor Joy made a profound
analogy about the behavior of untrained branches. When they wander, they never
wander alone. They pull adjacent branches with them; they ruin the aesthetic
beauty of the entire plant; they take the nutrients that were intended for
growth in the right direction and use them to induce growth in the wrong
direction. This is the prophetic picture of those of us in the Eleven, the
specially called who sit for years at the feet of Jesus, but who for some reason
decide that disobedience is a viable option.
Our pastor brought up the
fact that God, throughout time and in multiple ways, keeps sending the same
message to Bronx Bethany. Why? Because He is kind and compassionate and
patient. But be assured, He is the great God who keeps His word. If He warns of
destruction and we ignore Him, we do so to our own peril.
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