"Two Branches"- The Apostolic Connection

Jesus said, "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 might 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. I want to teach today two branches. Two two branches. Salvation. Salvation. What a treasure. What a treasure. Salvation is there is nothing like it on the earth. Salvation, you never get over salvation. Salvation dominates your life from the time that you receive it. It should dominate your life until the rapture of the church. Salvation. What a treasure. Salvation. Paul called it a treasure. In 2 Corinthians 4 and7, Paul called it a treasure. He said, "But we have this treasure in an earthn vessel." We have this treasure in an earthn vessel. Jesus spoke about it as treasure. He said in Matthew 13:44 in a parable he said again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. The which when a man hath found he hideth and for joy therefore goeth and sellth all that he hath and buyth the field. that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he hath found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Even Jesus spoke about salvation, as a treasure. He spoke about salvation as a treasure. He said, "A man go in a field, he finds treasure, he hides it." You better believe we need to hide this from our adversary because he'd like to take it from us. We better not have salvation on our hands. We better have salvation in our hearts because the adversary would like to take that salvation from us. Jesus said this man would hide that great treasure, salvation. And then what's that salvation worth? What's it worth? What's it cost? What does it cost for this salvation? All you got cost all you got. It cost us all the same. Nobody pays anymore for salvation this morning. If you're going to have salvation, friend, it's going to cost you all you got. Every how much that is going to cost you all your life. said that man would go and that man would sell all that he had. I'm going to tell you something today. There's too many people purchasing a knockoff salvation that cost less than all they've got. You know, there's purses and sunglasses and different name brands that in Dillards and uh high dollar department stores that that cost hundreds of dollars for a purse. I mean, literally five, six, seven, $800 for a for a for a certain uh uh Louis Vuitton or a a certain name brand purse. But you know what? There's a man on the street corner and he's got them for for $20. That's right. That's that that's right. He's got them on a He's got them on a street corner and and um um we were in New York City and and and shopping and and went down to was it Chinatown and we were shopping down there and oh the the Louis Vuitton and the Doney and Burke and all these purses that were just just kidding ju just and my wife was wanting a certain purse and the man said, "Well, you'll have to follow me." and and and and against my better judgment, he he he we started going down through steps and up and he come in a store and he pushed the wall and the wall come up and I said, "Penny, I don't feel good about this. I'm not feeling good about this right now." And and and and said, "Oh, it'll be all right. It'll be all right." And I didn't know where this to run, be a coward or stand and be a man and be sad to have to go home and tell the kids I lost your mom and and and with dad, did you fight for her? No. uh you know so I I you know but it's just a knockoff it's just a knockoff brand and and you find after you buy it upon close upon close examination that it's not the real thing you know and and I'm afraid some folks are like that salvation they they don't want to pay that all the way in to get this thing they don't want to pay that all the way to give it all I want you to know salvation is such a treasure I'm willing to give all that by God to get this great salvation and to keep this great salvation. Paul called it a treasure. Paul called it a treasure. Jesus called it a treasure. Paul in Ephesians 3 and8 said, "Unto me whom less than all the saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles," that's us, "the uncarchable riches of Christ." That is salvation. That is salvation. So we have this great salvation, this great vine, this great great vine. He said, I am I am the true vine. And verse one of 15, my father is the husbandman or he is the landowner. But then he said, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. Every branch, verse two, that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." So he says, "I'm the vine. I'm this trunk of salvation." And he only tells us about two branches on this vine. One branch has no fruit. It has absolutely no fruit at all. The other branch has fruit but needs to be pruned that it may bring forth more fruit. Because and hear this closely today. This is the whole theme of the Bible class this morning. As Christians, the purpose of our lives is to produce fruit for the praise of God. That's why we have salvation is that we can produce fruit that God would receive the praise. Well, why should I produce fruit? Because you need fruit for reproduction. Because the seed of the fruit is in the fruit. You got to have fruit in order to have seed. Take an apple and slice it today. You know what you'll find in the middle of the middle of that apple? You'll find apple seeds. You take those apple seeds and plant them. over time it will grow an apple tree and that apple tree will produce apples. I know that that may sound so elementary to call you here this morning to tell you that. But I believe that we need to re be reminded that we have not been saved to be served. We have been saved to bear fruit for the praise and the glory of God. There are too many people There are too many people in this world and in this room today that have been led to believe that life is all about you and all about your wants and I've got a right to be happy and it's all about me and keep me happy and keep me this and give me this. It's all about me. And they even get in salvation. And uh the times they pray is when it when it is in reference to them. The times that they worship is when they need a blessing. The times they give has nothing to do with the overall view of the work of God. But the times they give has to do with them being blessed. We have got to really change our way of thinking that God saved us so that we can bear fruit for others. God's salvation, this this great salvation is not all about ending on our branch. It's not all about just keeping my branch with leaves and with sap and nourishment. It's not all about keeping me healthy. The Lord wants to find fruit on that branch. As a matter of fact, he's very clear about it here in chapter 15. He says, "I am the vine, the true vine, and my father is the husbandman." And he says, "Every branch in me," so it's possible to be a branch in him that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. Now that's his word. He says, "Now when I find branches that are not bearing fruit, I remove them. I I I take them away. And then even every branch that is bearing fruit, I'm purging it. I'm clipping here and clipping there so that there's no little uh offshoots of the branch that uh are taking nourishment away from the eternal purpose of bearing fruit. I'm going to tell you today, the greatest joy you'll ever find is when you step outside of yourself and begin to give to others. The greatest contentment inside is when life is not about you. There's no greater joy than losing yourself and finding the great picture, the great purpose for why am I why am I here? Why am I alive? For what purpose is life all about? For you to bear fruit. In the book of Ruth, chapter 1. The book of Ruth chapter 1. I think we can see this over and over again throughout the word of God. Ruth, this book, which bears the woman's name, but the story is in Ruth of Naomi and her husband, her two sons. They were Hebrews, Jews of the land of Bethlehem, Judea. And they went down to sojourn in the land of Moab, a heathen land. And down in Moab, the two sons of Ruth, they took two daughters of the Moabites for wives. But Moab was not good to the family of no uh Naomi because her husband died down in Moab and her two sons died. And in chapter 1 and verse six of Ruth, she had heard that God had visited and given bread back in the land of Israel. It says, "Then she arose with her daughter daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab, how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return into the land of Judah." So now let's get this. Naomi hears that there's bread back in Israel. So she says, "I'm going to go back to where I came from. I'm going back home." And evidently these two daughter-in-laws said, "Well, we will go with you." I want you to keep in mind today the two branches, one barren, one bearing fruit. And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, verse eight, "Go return each to her mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest each of you in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. And they said unto her, "Surely we will return with thee unto thy people." Both of them said, "We're going to go back with you." But now listen to Naomi. Naomi said, "Turn again, my daughters. Why will ye go with me?" Boy, that's a that's a question of all question. Why will you go with me? upon the word motive hinges whether God blesses us or not. Why will you go with me? You know, if we could ask the question today, why are you here this morning? Why did you come to church today? Why did you drive? Why did you get ready, dress up, and come to church today? Why did you do all and and you're seated here today? Why? Why, my friend? If it's not the same answer, it ought to be because I want God to help me bear fruit. I I'm saved. I have received so great of salvation. And it's church time. And I've received such a wonderful gift in the house of God. I dare not miss an opportunity to go praise and worship the name of Jesus Christ. It's church time. I wouldn't want to be any other place. If you value the treasure like that, you feel the same way. I wouldn't want to be any other place but the house of God praising, magnifying because it's a great treasure.