Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
I think I’ve spent over half of my life living in a small cabin out in the woods, and sometimes when we get a really windy thunderstorm God will knock down certain trees that we will have to cut up and make into firewood. But whenever God knocks one tree down, He can raise up another. On many of the leftover stumps, He can cause new growth to emerge which are oftentimes referred to as suckers. These are new shoots or branches that come out of the base of the tree stump after it has been cut down. There are many hardwood trees that are capable of doing this.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Sometimes people will abide in the Christian Life for a certain period of time, but then they will eventually turn away from the truth, but don’t fret about it. Not everybody that has been educated in the faith is going to last. Nothing happens without God’s Divine intervention and if He chooses to knock down one tree, He can raise up another to stand in its place.
John 15:1-8 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. 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. 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. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Sometimes when the Apostle Paul discipled people in the Christian faith, they would only last for a certain period of time and then they walked off on him. Although there is great grief that accompanies this when you invest so much time helping others to grow in their faith, we must understand that God does it for a reason. I’m not much of a gardener, but I do know that when you trim off unproductive branches, the strength and nutrients of the plant will go into the productive branches instead, causing them to become even stronger and more fruitful. Although Jesus had chosen many men to preach the gospel, some of them eventually forsook Him.
John 6:66-68 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
In order to bear fruit someday we have to abide in Christ Jesus. Abide means to submit, yield to, or to continue in something.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Although we have the best intentions, not every seed that we plant is going to grow into fruition, but sometimes, this is exactly God’s purpose.
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
We learn that in the parable of the sower.
Mark 4:14-20 The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Even in a church group, not everybody is going to last. Some of them are actually wolves in sheeps clothing, who are only there to destroy the faith of the meek-hearted. Others will eventually get up and leave, turning their ears away from the truth of scriptural knowledge. But don’t get upset when this happens. In these actions God is at work clearing away the unfruitful branches, so the faithful ones can spring forth more abundantly. As I have always said, I’d rather have 10 people who obey God than 20 million who half-heartedly serve Him.
1 John 2:18-19 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Sometimes you can spend many years educating people in the teachings of God’s Word, but then they will completely reject their faith. Even though you fertilize them with the teachings of scripture, God will cut them down, but He does this for a purpose. What they have rejected, He will give to somebody else and eventually raise them up into high places.
Luke 13:6-9 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Although we might invest many years of our life in other people, not all of them are going to go on to fruition, but like I said don’t fret about it. Whenever God closes a window, He can open up a door, and when He cuts down one tree He can raise up another, just like He does with….
……The Stump Sprout
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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