Brush Pile or Fruit Producer
Mark Pittenger
“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:6
At the end of every winter, when the weather finally breaks, one thing that always needs to be done is to pick up the dead branches that have fallen off the various trees around my backyard. This is a tedious job but one that is necessary. The dead branches end up getting added to the ever-growing pile of brush in the back corner, where they will wait to be added to a fire. At that point, the branches are only good for burning.
In John chapter 15, Jesus likens Himself to a vine, and we, as His disciples, are likened to the branches that grow off of the vine. Jesus goes on to describe God the Father as the gardener who will tend to the vine and see that it bears fruit. Jesus tells us in John 15:5 that those who abide in Him shall produce fruit because He will also abide in them. In verse six Jesus tells us, “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”
Much like the trees around my yard, the branches that are dead and are not “blooming,” or producing fruit, are detached from the vine and set aside to be burned. This is a very straight-to-the-point warning from Jesus that those who are not fully dependent on Him, will be separated from Him. We need to be completely and fully attached to the vine, to be completely and fully alive!
Jesus knew His audience and that they would understand the metaphor of gardening, so He used that to paint the Gospel picture. God the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, or, the vine being planted. The Holy Spirit works through Jesus, the vine, to create disciples or branches, and furthermore, sever any branches that are dead.
The bottom line is that if you consider yourself a Christian, then everything you do must start, and end, with Jesus. We must abide in Him fully or be severed from Him eternally.
John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Mark Pittenger
“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:6
At the end of every winter, when the weather finally breaks, one thing that always needs to be done is to pick up the dead branches that have fallen off the various trees around my backyard. This is a tedious job but one that is necessary. The dead branches end up getting added to the ever-growing pile of brush in the back corner, where they will wait to be added to a fire. At that point, the branches are only good for burning.
In John chapter 15, Jesus likens Himself to a vine, and we, as His disciples, are likened to the branches that grow off of the vine. Jesus goes on to describe God the Father as the gardener who will tend to the vine and see that it bears fruit. Jesus tells us in John 15:5 that those who abide in Him shall produce fruit because He will also abide in them. In verse six Jesus tells us, “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”
Much like the trees around my yard, the branches that are dead and are not “blooming,” or producing fruit, are detached from the vine and set aside to be burned. This is a very straight-to-the-point warning from Jesus that those who are not fully dependent on Him, will be separated from Him. We need to be completely and fully attached to the vine, to be completely and fully alive!
Jesus knew His audience and that they would understand the metaphor of gardening, so He used that to paint the Gospel picture. God the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, or, the vine being planted. The Holy Spirit works through Jesus, the vine, to create disciples or branches, and furthermore, sever any branches that are dead.
The bottom line is that if you consider yourself a Christian, then everything you do must start, and end, with Jesus. We must abide in Him fully or be severed from Him eternally.
John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Posted in Upper Room
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