His Servants' Ministry

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HIS SERVANTS' MINISTRY

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John 15:1-6, Unfruitful Branches Burned?

John 15:1-6 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [6] If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [KJV]

Every branch in me . . . Jesus is speaking to BELIEVERS!

He taketh away . . . as the gardener removes every unfruitful branch from the vine, so will the Father remove every unfruitful member from the Body of Christ (church) . . . such as Judas, unbelieving Jews, apostate followers . . . all false Christians. IF a person does not live not in His life and Spirit, and brings forth no fruit to the glory of God, they are NOT God's children. And every branch that is in Jesus by true faith, that has given way to iniquity, and shipwrecked their faith . . . all these He taketh away. AWAY . . . to where? He cuts off every branch that does NOT produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. IF a believer does not bear fruit by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in his/her life, God takes him/her away. IF a believer is not a fruit bearing Christian, God will either lay him/her up on a shelf somewhere, or take him/her home prematurely.

Does this teach that a saved person can be lost? NO! This parable is speaking about fruit bearing, NOT salvation. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

1 Cor. 3:11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. [14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. [15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (KJV)

Any believer that has been unfruitful (unfaithful) in their service to the Lord, ALL of his/her works shall be burned up at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “but he himself shall be saved; yet as by fire” or . . . saved by the skin if their teeth.

The word for true means genuine. Jesus is NO counterfeit. John the Baptist was a reflecting light, but Christ Jesus is the true Light. Moses gave bread in the wilderness, but Christ Jesus is the true Bread. Here, Christ Jesus is the true vine, the real one!

The disciples had Jewish ideas and their thought patterns had been governed by the Old Testament. Jesus is telling them now that the nation Israel is NOT the genuine vine. Their identification with the Jewish nation and the Jewish religion is NOT the essential thing. “I am the genuine vine.”

Our identification with a religion or a ceremony or an organization is NOT essential or important. We must be identified with Christ! We are in Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:13) the moment we trust Christ as our Saviour and are born again as a child of God.

“My Father is the husbandman.” This confused them. In Old Testament Passages and in the New Testament parables, God was the Owner of the vineyard. Now, Jesus says that He is the keeper, the farmer, the One who takes care of the vineyard. Jesus is the genuine Vine, and the Father takes care of Him.

In the Old Testament it was prophesied that the Lord Jesus would grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry ground (Isa.53:2). So often the Father intervened to save Jesus from the Devil who wished to kill Him. The Father is the One who cared for the Vine, and my friend, He will take care of the branches too.

The branches (Christians) MUST be joined to the Vine (Christ Jesus). This is really just common sense. If a branch is not attached to a vine or tree, what happens? It DIES! So Jesus is saying that for us to be able to live and produce fruit, we MUST be attached to Him . . . joined to Him, get strength and nourishment from Him.

John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

“In me,” = in Christ. Being “in Christ” (Rom.8:1-2; 9:1; 12:5; 16:3; 1 Cor.1:30) means to be saved. There are some big words like propitiation, atonement, reconciliation, and redemption that cover certain parts of salvation, but salvation in its entirety is simply being “in Christ.” There are only two groups of people in the world: those who are in Christ and those who are NOT in Christ.

How do you get “in Christ”? By being born again! (John 1:12-13; 3:3-8) the new birth. When you believe God (1 John 5:10-13) and trust Christ as your Saviour and Lord, you are born into the family of God, spiritually, through faith. You are born again by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit baptizes you and places you into the body of Christ . . . “every branch in me.”

This Passage is directed to believers, to those who are already in Christ. Jesus is not talking about how a person gets saved. He is actually NOT talking about salvation at all in this Passage. Here He speaks about fruit-bearing.

Fruit is mentioned 5 times in these 6 verses by Jesus. There are three degrees of fruit-bearing: fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The theme is fruit-bearing. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” Where does He take it? Away from the place of fruit-bearing.

John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

(Ezekiel 15:1-5). “Oh-oh, that sounds like you lose your salvation.” NO! Remember this passage is NOT talking about salvation . . . it talks about fruit-bearing. It talks about the RESULT of being saved.

So . . . what is the fruit? Some think it is soul-winning. I don’t think so. I think that soul-winning is a by-product but NOT the fruit itself. I think the fruit Jesus refers to here is the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

Philip. 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (KJV)

Col. 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (KJV)

Ephes. 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) (KJV)

Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (KJV)

Ephes. 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (KJV)

Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (KJV)

If we want to be fruitful, we must abide in Christ, we must have union with Him by faith. We must be dependent on Christ, and we must have fellowship with Him. IF we interrupt our faith for any reason, our affection for Jesus will sharply decline, our corruptions will revive, and our peace and comfort to sag. Anyone who does NOT abide in Christ . . . even though they may flourish for awhile in outward profession . . . they will lose the closeness they once felt with Jesus.

Jesus says the fire is the best place for withered, unfruitful branches; they are good for nothing else. Let us live more abundantly on the vast fullness of Christ, and grow more fruitful daily, in every good word and work, so that our joy in Him and in His salvation will be full.

Passages mentioned above.

1 Cor.12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (KJV)

Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (KJV)

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (KJV)

Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, (KJV)

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (KJV)

Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: (KJV)

1 Cor. 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (KJV)

John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (KJV)

John 3:3-8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? [5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. [8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (KJV)

1 John 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. [11] And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. [13] These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (KJV)

Ezekiel 15:1-5 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? [3] Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? [4] Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work? [5] Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? (KJV)