Vines

Last Monday, on Labor Day, my wife and I took on a rather large task.  We have some large lilac bushes in our backyard that were being run over with vines which had been taking place for many years.  We spent close to eight hours trying to eradicate those vines from the bushes.  We also cut some of the bushes back because they were getting out of hand, along with some dead ones, it was quite a task, but it had to be done or all the bushes could have been choked out and died.  

I didn’t think about it at the time, but yesterday while riding home from church, after hearing an eye opening sermon, one of the many great ones I have heard over the years, I got thinking about those vines.  I guess I got thinking about how things have changed over the years, which was part of the sermon, and how things just seem to be sliding into immorality.  The things that take place today would not have been tolerated back then.  I think if some of the believers knew what was tolerated today they would roll over in their graves, so to speak, of how some call evil, good and good, evil which is spoken of in Romans 1:32, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

It seems like thirty five years ago people’s convictions were different than today.  Today some may call you legalistic for your stand for certain things that are not legalistic at all, but firm convictions.  Back then, there were what they called the fire and brimstone preachers who didn’t play games with the truth and told it the way it was, they called sin a sin, and spoke of hell and damnation and repentance to the point that when some listened they responded like they could feel the flames.  They didn’t have to be prodded and pushed; some ran to the altars to experience God’s grace and mercy because they knew that they were sinners and in need of forgiveness.  The atonement was spoken of through the shed blood of Christ, who was willing to be crucified and give His life a ransom for all who would believe and trust in Him and that there was but one way to get to heaven and that was through Christ Himself.  Today, many don’t even speak of these things, buying into the worldly notion that they might offend someone.  Wake up, the gospel is going to offend some people.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-23, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Now read John 6:47- 66, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’

Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’

These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

Many of the disciples were offended also and walked no more with Him.  

Getting back to the vines, we believers need to be careful that we do not conform to this world and its sinful desires; we need to resist temptation and flee from immorality.  The evil one has the worldly mind and system in his grip, and we need to shun evil and cling to what is good.  When we allow a little sin in our lives, we can get comfortable and allow a little more sin to take place, and before we know it we are on the path to destruction.  Just like the vines, if they were allowed to grow indefinitely they would have destroyed all the bushes we had by strangulation, and if we didn’t cut and prune those bushes, we wouldn’t have them and in time they would have all died off.

The same thing will happen if we let sin remain in our lives, not repented of.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death and there is always a penalty for it.  It is not always literal death, but in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it was.  If you want to read about them, you can read Acts 5:1-11.  Sin has always separated man from God, from the beginning of creation.  What God is seeking is the humble and repentant heart, which He will not despise!  So if you are in this situation, conforming to the world, humble yourself before God and repent and seek His forgiveness in all sincerity and you will find forgiveness.  Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!