April 15, 2018_Bear Good Fruits

God is the Vinedresser

   God is the vinedresser.  Every farmer hopes for a great harvest so he cultivates the ground and sows seeds.  The most important thing for a farmer is to harvest a lot of fruit.  The more fruit he harvests, the richer his life becomes.  So the farmer tries to improve his seed stock and endeavors to find better fields in order to increase his yield.

   While good seeds and the right field conditions are important factors, the farmer’s devotion is the more important factor when it comes to farming.  A mother loves her child with all her heart, with all her mind and with all her devotion.  If a farmer wants to get fruit from a fruit tree, he looks after it just like a mother does for her child.  Vines in particular vary greatly in the quality and quantity of the fruit depending on how much love and care the farmer gives to the growing plant.

The Reason a Farmer Prunes Branches

John 15:1 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”  The farmer loves the vine, and the vine brings pleasure to the farmer. When Jesus was baptized and came up out of the water to fulfill God’s will, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)  Jesus is God’s beloved Son, and Jesus pleased the Father because He was obedient unto death – even death on a cross.  Jesus is the vine that God loves and that also pleases the vinedresser, who is God.

   John 15:2 says, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it may bear more fruit.”  A farmer does many things to increase his harvest of fruit.  One of those things, which is very important, is to prune the tree.  Vines are particularly susceptible to worm infestation under the bark.  A farmer must clear out the branches every spring, and constantly monitor and take care of the branches as the vine grows.  Therefore, a vine’s productivity depends on how well the farmer cares for it.  On the other hand, clusters of grapes from a wild vine that is not well cared for by a farmer are often uneven in size and worth less at market.

   John 15:3 says, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”  Just like a farmer cleans the branches of a vine, Jesus cleans us with His words.  He does that because He wants us to be fruitful.  However, there are still some branches that do not bear fruit.  Jesus warns that the vinedresser will cut off those branches.

Branches Should Remain on the Vine

John 15:4 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you.  Just like a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me.”  Just as Jesus is a vine, the church which is His body, is also a vine, and we are branches that are connected to it.   A vine’s branches absorb the nourishment from the tree.  In like manner we too should absorb grace and spiritual inspiration from the church.

  Faith is receiving God’s love.  All of the law of the old covenant can be summarized into loving God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself.  Under the old covenant, if we practice such love we will not perish.  The problem is that we are unable to love God and our neighbors as the Law demands.

  Thankfully, Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross and gave His life for mankind who could not satisfy the demands of the law.  By so doing, He paid the penalty for the sin of humanity that the law required.  He then gave a new command to those who are afflicted.  The new command is to receive God’s love.

Receive God’s Love

John 15:9 says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.”  Many people think they should ‘love God,’ but they are not interested in receiving God’s love.   Man was created to do the will of God.  Those who fail to do His will are destined to perish.  But who is there who can completely do God’s will?  Only Jesus Christ fully did the will of God.  That is why we must unite with Jesus Christ.

There are three paths that await a man.  Once you pass the gate of death, you are destined for the lake of fire, regardless of the life you lived on earth.  But Jesus came to the earth and made a new way for us.  His birth and death were no different from other men.  But He was resurrected, and He eventually ascended into heaven.  He is the one who said, “I am the way!”  We must escape from the path which leads to eternal death, and choose the new path, which is Jesus.

   There are people who believe in Jesus, but are still guided by their own conscience.  They approve or condemn themselves based on their own conscience.  They not only judge themselves by their own standards, but they also judge other people’s faith.  They think this is faith, but it is merely the typical behavior of religious people.  On the day of judgment, they will be judged by God’s Justice, not by the conscience which they have set as their standard.  Many will end up in hell because they cannot escape God’s judgment.  Even if some of them escape hell, they will barely be saved.

   Those who do not believe in Jesus have already been judged, and after they cross the threshold of death, they will remain in Hades for a short time, after which they will be thrown into the lake of fire.  Those who have been united with Jesus will immediately go to paradise and, at the appointed time, they will be resurrected and enter the Father’s house in heaven.

   What about Abraham and his descendants, the Israelites?  They called on the name of God, but they will pass through judgment because they were not able to enter into Jesus.  Some of them might be saved after they pass through judgment, but they will not be allowed to enter the Father’s house because servants do not have the rights that children enjoy.  On the other hand, those who are united with Jesus will enter the Father’s house.

Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)  Jesus is still sending the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him as a guarantee of His promise.

   Our faith is not like one of the many religions in the world that only offer knowledge.  Instead, our faith involves abiding in Jesus Christ, who alone fully accomplished God’s will, and to receive God’s love.  Sadly, people are not obedient when it comes to God’s grace, but are constantly obsessed with improving their behavior according to the standard of their conscience, rather than accepting God’s grace.

Now that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the will of the Father, the only way we can truly do God’s will is to receive the love He extended to us through Jesus Christ, and to remain in that love.  Jesus loved his own disciples to the end. (John 13:1)  Nevertheless, Judas Iscariot couldn’t remain in Jesus’ love. The reason he was unable to remain in His love is because he did not reject the thoughts that the devil planted in his heart and mind.

Keep the New Commandments.

The only way to abide in Jesus’ love is by keeping his new commandments.  John 15:10 says, “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.” What are the new commandments Jesus gave us?  John 15:12 says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

What specifically does Jesus mean by ‘love one another’?  When many people hear the word ‘love’ they think about giving charity to a stranger, or feeding the hungry.  Of course, as members of society and communities, we should rightly do such things.  However, Jesus did not come to the world to do these things, nor did He command His disciples to do them.  Jesus came to give Himself to us so that we may eat His flesh, drink His blood and clothe ourselves with Him.  That is, not to just meet a person’s needs in the short term, but to satisfy and fulfill their spiritual needs for eternity.

What is the meaning of the sacrament of Holy Communion?  I Corinthians 11:26-27 says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.  Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”  We came to know the love of God through the Lord’s death.  Therefore, we must now strive to tell others about God’s love by preaching and teaching them about the Lord’s death.

  Unfortunately, many people are more eager to point out the faults of others than to proclaim the Lord’s death.  It is even common these days to maliciously gossip about others.  It may be that God has given them over to a depraved mind because they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. (Rom 1:28-29)  If you love someone, you should pray for them instead of gossiping about them when they are overtaken by a fault.

The Church is the body of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, those who love the Lord love church.  A branch cannot survive apart from the vine.  We are branches which are supposed to bear fruit in abundance.  As such, we should have a sense of belonging to the church.  The Lord cannot bear fruit through someone who does not acknowledge that they are connected to the church.

   When Jesus’ mother told Him that the wine was gone at the wedding feast, He replied, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”  The world is full of heartache and injustice, but the Lord clearly understood His mission.  It is good to provide clothing and food for the poor.  But it is infinitely more important to preach the gospel so that people can have the faith we have.

Have you received the love of Jesus? If so, do not depart from it but rather stay in Christ’s love.  Keep the new commandments that He gave us. Preach His love, and the grace you have received, to others.  Then they will have the faith that you have.  Our God and Father the vinedresser wants us to bear fruit.

I want to ask to the young ‘servants of God’ who claim against me saying, “Semuon is a liar. We have been deceived by him.” If you became pastors and learned how to pray because you had been deceived by me for decades, now you should harshly abandon the office of pastor, as well as prayers and inspiration which you have learned from me. Aren’t you supposed to abandon every word you have learned from me? How did you become so corrupted in such a way?

Is the leader you have really your spiritual leader? Is he the spiritual leader who kneels before God and prays earnestly by the Holy Spirit every day and night? He is supposed to lead your soul to salvation, but rather he led astray your souls to stumble, and alienated people from the church which is the characteristic of the devil. Is he a true spiritual leader? I feel so grieved about you for you were once my disciples. I tell you, “Please come to your senses.”

If Semuon had transgressed, would not he have repented and been forgiven hundreds and even thousands of times by the Lord with grace? If I had not deserved to be forgiven, would not the Lord Jesus judge me? If Semuon had done evil to the church, you should accuse me of it in the court of law in the world so that I may be punished. And you have done that against me, and hasn’t the court proceeded with the hearings on that?

So then, aren’t you supposed to wait for the decision of the court with patience and humility, and in the meantime cooperate with the church so that its operation may not be hindered? If I violated the law, I would not be able to escape legal punishment. However, I do not think that I violated the law. Rather, those who falsely accused me must take the legal liability of calumny.

I was originally a sinner and have many transgressions, but I live my life boldly by the grace of Jesus Christ. From the mouth of those who are incapable and do not have inspiration, threats and lies flow out all the time. Such lies and threats might work temporarily to insult me, Semuon. However, those who used lies will regret bitterly. It is because they have to take the responsibility on such kinds of words and actions.

You might have expected me to die very soon, but it will not be that way. I have received the inspiration of long life from the Lord. Therefore, I will do what I have to do for sure. All the honor that I had in the world has already faded. For any ordinary persons, it would be difficult to even show their faces outside. However I am the one who believes in Jesus, and who knows the truth. Even though my honor and glory have fallen into a ditch, my soul is stronger and filled with the Holy Spirit more than ever before.

My beloved young servants, repent. Pray earnestly to the Lord Jesus that He might take hold of your hands.

Looking forward to the day of Joy in the church…..

Semuon

Coming Soon

Outline translated by Sarah Lee
Letter translated by John Kim
Interpretations by Daniel Hong
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee