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main text ; John 15:1-5
I once served in the military in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, and there was a special product called Geobong grapes. It was literally a very large and delicious grape.
When I went out for a night out, I sometimes bought the grapes from the giant peaks and brought them to my parents, but when I tasted them, I said, "Hey, these grapes are very luscious and delicious!" and marveled. In particular, my father liked the Geobong grapes very much.
However, in today's text, Jesus said that he was the true vine, and God is a farmer, and he said that we believers should branch out. And the Bible compares the church to a vineyard.
If there are no grapes in the vineyard, the vineyard will become a devastated vineyard, a useless vineyard, and a worthless vineyard that is not loved by many.
However, if the vineyard bears luscious grapes, like giant grapes, at the right time, the vineyard will be praised by everyone, satisfy the hearts of farmers, and will receive praise and love from many people. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In other words, the church must bear all kinds of good fruits, including the fruit of light, the fruit of righteousness, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which God, the farmer, wants.
Ladies and gentlemen, we want to get a lot of fruit even in this foreign land.
It bears all kinds of good fruits, including the fruit of blessing, the fruit of health, the fruit of happiness, the fruit of evangelism, and the fruit of mission, so that it not only pleases God's heart, but also greatly satisfies ourselves and makes our homes and churches beautiful. want it
In other words, if we bear much fruit, both God and us will be happy. But on the other hand, if it does not bear fruit, both God and us will become unhappy. That is, the fruit is the joy, hope, happiness, and glory of God and of us Christians.
The fruit makes life rewarding, gives you strength, and makes you feel good. And the hum comes out on its own. Naturally, the immigrant life was a success.
However, on the other hand, if there is no fruit no matter how hard you work, life is not worthwhile, you become discouraged and your shoulders sag. Of course, immigrant life is a failure, isn't it?
Everyone, I wish you a more enjoyable, rewarding, and happy life as you immigrate, as all kinds of good fruits are plentiful here in foreign land.
However, the Lord is telling us today that there are certain things that we must observe in order to bear much fruit.
That is, just as a branch needs to cling closely to the vine to bear fruit, so we can bear fruit only when we cling to Jesus.
"Ah- Pastor, of course it is! I thought I was teaching you something new?" Some of you may be asking the question.
But keep in mind.
The truths of Jesus are not as difficult as complex mathematical formulas. Rather, it is so simple that proud people tend to make fun of and ignore this simple truth.
But we must heed the simple truth the Lord is teaching us today.
Guys, keep this in mind once again. In order for a branch to bear much fruit, it must be attached to the tree. Of course, there are times when we feel bad about believing in Jesus. And there are times when I come to church and be tested by someone.
But for a long time while saying, "Jesus, I'm in a really bad mood right now. So let's live apart for a while. Let's do some separation? There are people who are separated from Jesus and stay away from the Church.
On the other hand, there are people who think that they are quite capable and wise and that they can live well in a foreign land without being attached to Jesus. They might say something like this.
"Ah- Jesus, look at this. Even though I lived apart from Jesus, didn't I make a lot of money in a foreign country like this? Hehehehe, I'm a bit of a capable person, am I not?"
But keep in mind. Making a lot of money doesn't necessarily mean you're happy. Rather, money earned without Jesus can be a cause of unhappiness not only for you but also for your family.
This is the story of a family who immigrated to the United States 10 years ago. The couple, who emigrated with their two elementary school sons, worked hard and saved up a lot of money.
And the business was so successful that he finally got his hands on a lot of money. However, the eldest son, who grew up as a young man, is begging his parents to buy an expensive sports car.
My parents said, "Oh, now I have money. Who do you buy your son a nice car?" And he willingly bought me a sports car for several hundred thousand dollars.
The eldest son received the sports car as a gift and was so happy that he took his younger brother for a test drive. He stepped on the accelerator like a normal car, and the car, a state-of-the-art sports car, sped and crashed into a tree in front of him.
And the day I bought the sports car became a tragic day that I will never see my eldest son and younger son again in this world. At the funeral of their beloved sons, the parents cursed the money they were trying to earn.
And, "Why did I buy that expensive car for my son? I wish I didn't have the money!"
Ladies and gentlemen, do not be deceived by the money given without Jesus, the honor or position obtained without Jesus. Don't even envy it.
Don't say so childishly, "Without Jesus, I'm doing fine now. I'm happy!"
How can we become truly rich and bear the fruit of true and eternal happiness after we forsake Jesus, who is the most precious treasure in this world?
Today's text says: ?쏹nless the branch is attached to the vine, it cannot bear fruit.???쏛part from me you can do nothing.??
Ladies and gentlemen, just as a fish without water cannot live, so we who are branches cannot live in Korea or Canada apart from Jesus who is the vine. Branches that leave the vine do not bear fruit and eventually wither.
Just as a reservoir with a cut off source of water eventually lifts its bottom and dries up, hope, happiness, and joy all dry up.
Therefore, what we, as branches, must never forget, is that we must cling to Jesus, who is the vine, in any way. The only way a branch can bear fruit and live is by clinging to the tree.
No matter how good-looking, handsome, or capable branches are, once they fall from the tree, that's when they're in crisis. That is the beginning of sorrow. That's when the signs of pain begin to appear.
Guys, sometimes when you watch Animal Kingdom on TV, you see a lot of lions.
And you will often see lions hunting. At that time, you will see that the one who becomes the lion's food without exception is the one who smokes alone, far away from its mother.
Ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to who the devil is also targeting, he is targeting believers who are far from Jesus.
See the history of Israel through the Bible.
As they turned away from God, suffering came upon them. The country was destroyed and many people were taken captive and lost their lives.
But when they were attached to God, there was hope, joy, and happiness. And there was life.
Therefore, Moses makes this confession. ?쏝ut all of you who remained attached to the LORD your God are alive??(Deuteronomy 4:4).
Also, Barnabas is asking us this way. ?쏷herefore, cling to the Lord with a strong heart??(Acts 11:23).
Folks, Jesus is our lifeline. A line of blessings. A line of hope. The line of happiness.
When the power line is cut, electricity is not supplied, so no matter how good the fan, air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine, TV, stove, and computer all stop and become dark in an instant, when the line of Jesus is cut, we are finished. .
The greatest misfortune and curse for those who believe in Jesus is that they lose their relationship with Jesus. Therefore, the thing that believers should be most concerned about, whether in Korea or abroad, is their relationship with Jesus.
Everyone, please. Stay close to Jesus.
If possible, stay away from the body of Jesus, the Church. Consider it a great privilege to be close to the church and be able to attend one more worship service.
Consider it a great happiness to be able to meet the beloved Jesus one more time through worship. If possible, stay away from the church and set up a business. And pray to God like this.
"God, I'm going to come to a foreign land to worship diligently. I'm going to do a lot of work for you. I'm trying to get a business and a job there, so please guide me!"
In my case, there is indeed a precious grace I received from God. The first reason I came to believe in Jesus was because the church came right next to my house.
And when we moved, even then, when I opened the window of my house, the cross of the church was immediately visible, so I was able to go to the early morning service one more time. And then we moved again, and even then, there was a church right in front of our house.
And even after coming to Calgary, the place where we worshiped has now been changed to a Vietnamese restaurant, but it used to be a Korean restaurant called Gaya Restaurant, and we lived in an apartment across the street.
And now we have our house next to our church, so you don't know how lucky we are. Of course, it's good to be healthy and relieve stress by sweating in the church gym, including badminton, and it's good because it's close to home, so you can see a lot of church work.
Especially when we urgently need to bring something from our house to church, it's not the first time we've thought, "I'm so glad!" Moreover, when I forgot to bring a sermon notebook, I think it is a good thing that my house is close to the church.
And what I am really grateful for is that since my position is a pastor, I always come to all services including the early morning service, and because I have to preach the Word, I always have to read the Bible and pray, and it is good to be close to Jesus anyway.
However, this is such a natural truth that many people may ignore it and move on.
But keep in mind. You cannot find true happiness, true blessing, true joy anywhere in your lifetime by ignoring this obvious truth.
Even here in Canada, the only way for you and I to live as children of God is to cling to Jesus.
Everyone, in the name of the Lord, I ask you again
Stick to Jesus. And receive the sap from Jesus, bear abundant fruit, and finally glorify God.
And I pray that you will fully enjoy the happiness that Jesus gives you even here in foreign countries.