# Purging

Key Passage: John 15
Date: June 7, 2024

John chapter number 15, if you would please. John 15 in God’s word, John 15 in the Lord’s word tonight. I’m thinking it’s not coming. It’s not coming. It must not have been important, amen.

John 15, and the title for tonight would just be one word: purging, purging.

This is a wonderful passage. I hope you just kind of take the whole passage to heart. John 15, we’re going to read the first eight verses of it. We’ll probably just stop and comment as we read along. It’s just an awesome place in the Bible. It would be a good thing just to read over a couple of times sometimes. Just take it, and sometimes you just make a section of scripture just your daily reading for a while. Sometimes it just makes it come alive.

By the way, this is not what I was going to say, but Wednesday we’re going to start just a little short series on how to study the Bible, and I hope you come on Wednesday. Just a short series on it. I know what it is; I just saw the person that did it. But someone came up this morning and said, “I got something to say,” and they quoted their verse they memorized. Man, I love that. That’s awesome.

Now, if you’re working on a verse and you’ve got it memorized, I’d enjoy it if you just quote it to me. I just love it. I need to be reminded, I think. I think they said it word perfect. The reason why I say I think is because I don’t know if I know it memorized word perfect, you know. They did a great job. I love it. You’re memorizing Scripture. That’s just awesome. I love it. Thank you for doing that, the one that did that this morning, and keep working on your verses. You’re memorizing the verse. That’s just wonderful.

John 15, we’re going to start verse number one. Would you please stand if you’re able to, in respect to the Word of God? And I hope you’re getting to the Bible. It’s an amazing book. It’s just amazing.

Somebody was telling me this afternoon sometime. They said, on the phone—so I’m going to call them—they said they’re reading Revelation over, and they said, “I must read the book three times a week.” I go, “Wow.” They said, “I’m always amazed. I see something I never saw before.” I said, “Man, that’s the Bible. That’s the Bible. It’s a wonderful book.” And I hope you get into the Bible. It’s amazing.

John 15, we’re starting in verse number one right there.

“I am.” That’s Jesus. He’s the I Am, and He is the I AM. Amen. “I am.” That’s Jesus. “The true vine. And my Father is the husbandman.” He’s the farmer, if you will. He’s the one overseeing it all, if you will. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.”

Now, let me just stop for a moment here and talk about that. That does not mean you lose your salvation. Later on, I think it’s verse number six, it’ll talk about what people do, but God just takes them away. By the way, the ultimate chastening of God, if someone just does not grow at all, they will not produce any fruit at all. What’s the ultimate of God’s chastening? He takes them home.

I was over here at Woodfin Funeral Home a couple of years ago, and another preacher preached a funeral. I didn’t know the fellow that had passed, but I was impressed in some ways that the preacher was bold enough. He said, “I led this young man to the Lord. He said, ‘I think he’s in heaven, but most of you know the lifestyle he was living.’” And by some comments, I took that he was a little bit into drugs and maybe even a drug dealer.

But he said, “I think he’s saved. He said, ‘I had the privilege to see him get saved. He said, but I think the Lord took him home early.’” I thought, “Wow, pretty bold at a funeral for him to say that,” you know. And that happens for him. That happens. God takes them away, and He takes them home. It doesn’t mean the loss of salvation, but He takes them, see?

“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.” You say, “I need to get clean.” All of us do. Man, it seems like I get my heart a little bit right, or the Lord gets a little bit right, and I go to sleep and wake up the next morning, and it’s all dirty again. Anybody out there like that? Man, what do you do? Get in the Word.

I had to clean it up. That’s what I was talking about. Now, “Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

“Abide in me, and I in you.” That’s a wonderful formula. We abide in Him and His word and prayer and so on. And He in us—He living in us through the Spirit of Christ, He living in you. We abide in Him, and Him in us. By the way, think about that: Draw out of God, and He will draw nigh to you. Wonderful formula God has given.

“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” It would be foolish for a branch just somehow to be able to cut itself off from the vine and say, “Well, I’m going to produce.”

This big tree across the parking lot here—I’m not good about knowing the names and types of trees. It’s a big old tree to me, whatever it is. I don’t know if it’s an oak or what, you know. But a limb, months ago—I don’t know when it happened, a storm, I’m sure. I don’t know if lightning struck it or what—there’s a big old limb that’s been off. It’s barely hanging on by just a thread. I worry Sunday morning if you park underneath it, if you’re parking in the parking lot, if it’ll fall. It’s a big old limb.

But it’s been green. The leaves stayed green for a while. And when I came back from vacation, I looked over there, and the leaves are brown. Well, that’s the tree still green, and a Christian cannot abide in Christ, and they may have a little bit of that life left in them, if you will, for a while. But pretty soon they’ll go with her. And I’m—crazy, if you will—if I think I can produce fruit and not be connected to the vine. Hold on. That life comes from Jesus. And I think I’m going to produce fruit. Now, I’m going to have some fruit. That can mean a lot. It could just mean fruit I’m growing in the Lord. The ultimate of that is, what’s the ultimate of an orange tree? Another orange, or eventually an orange tree. But it can mean a lot before you get to that, just fruit you’re growing.

But if I think I can produce fruit and not abide in the vine, that’s just pride of the ultimate. I’ve got no hope of producing fruit without Christ. And I must abide in Him.

Now, let me say this: The fruit doesn’t grow on the vine. I mean, the fruit’s on the branches. And that’s why Christ has left us in the world to produce fruit. A lot of different fruit. But friend, that branch cannot produce any fruit apart from the vine. There’s no way. And it’s all about—you say, “I would like to be fruitful.” It’s all about abiding in the vine.

That life-giving source comes from Him. I like to be producing, I like to have fruit and all that. Man, get connected with Christ. Walk with Him and abide in Him, and Him in you. That’s what it’s all about.

We’ve got to keep going here. Verse number five: “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.” It’s foolish of us to think, “I’m going to produce some fruit.” Not on your own, you’re not. It’s all about abiding in the vine, the vine in you.

“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered.” Watch this: “And men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

Now, that’s men, that’s not God. God over there just takes them away. This one here is men. By the way, you get a Christian that’s not abiding in Christ, and they’re just withered up and backslidden, and the world loves to burn them every chance they get. You let a Christian fall big time, or a preacher fall big time, and the world loves to publish it everywhere.

I mean, at work, “Well, so-and-so, he said he used to go to church, he’s a Christian, look what he said or did.” You know what? Now they’ll burn them up every time they—every chance they get. That’s men. Not talking about God here, talking about men. And the world loves to point every time I see a withered up, backslidden Christian, just living worse than the world. Something the world loves to just burn them, and gather them up and throw them in the fire and burn. That’s what’s talked about there. God over there, He says He’d take them away. But men, they just cast them in the fire and they are burned. And boy, that’s a whole lot of sad things. By the way, so many Christians are such a poor example of the Lord, and they hurt the cause of Christ. And in the world, they just have a field day with that. That’s what was talked about there.

Verse number seven: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” That’s amazing. That’s interesting. You ask what it should be done unto you. I’m talking about a specific kind of praying there. But you start abiding in His words in you, and boy, your prayer life takes off. And God using you takes off if it’s done unto you. It’s amazing that God lets us just come and ask things from Him. Isn’t that amazing? God lets a sinner like being you just a peon come to God and ask, and God says, “I give you things,” if His word is abiding. It’s amazing.

Verse number eight: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye be my disciples.” Being a morning Christian is very easy. Christ paid the debt. He gives it to me freely. But being a disciple—oh, very strict qualifications for that. Very tough. And deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him to be a disciple.

That first part, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” Remember years ago, I think I remember the man—I’m not sure it was him, I don’t know—an older man doesn’t go to our church, but a little bit of a traveling kind of a preacher somewhat. But he came and he said, “Oh, we’ve been into this lie that we’re left here to win souls. And he said, ‘We’re left here to glorify God.’” And well, that verse came to my mind: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.”

I don’t think I said anything because he’s older, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful. My friend, the Bible is very clear on it. You’re going to bring Him glory and bear much fruit. Yes, the ultimate of that is, well, a lot of ways to bear fruit, but the ultimate in another Christian, you know. But you bear much fruit, and there’s so much there about bearing fruit.

We’re going to go back in just a moment there, verse number two. But would you pray that God would work at our hearts tonight? Are you hungry tonight for God to work in your heart? I believe you are. I want you to be, because if you’re hungry, He said He’ll fill you. That’s the key. Would you pray with me that God will work in our hearts tonight as I pray the same?

Lord, we come to You. Father, I’ve got nothing for anybody apart from You, not a thing, Lord. And Lord, so I yield to You. Would You bring life through a simple preacher through Your word? Would You bring life to Your people? Energy? And Lord, I do pray that this fall would be a fall where we as Christians have much fruit for You in many different ways, Lord. And help us to be Christians that are branches that bear much fruit for You. Use tonight to that end, Lord, please. And we’ll thank You, we’ll brag with You and praise You for what You do, Lord. And Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

Would you go back to verse number two for just a moment? There, verse number two, just for a moment. He said, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it.” Now, the purpose is that it may bring forth more fruit.

Friend, if you’re being purged, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You say, “Why is all this happening to me?” Because you’ve already had some fruit. You’re growing. Those that have no fruit, He doesn’t purge them; He takes them away. But if you’re growing in the Lord, you’re having some fruit, God says those are the ones that He purges.

It’s never fun to get purged, if you will, pruned, if you will. But God’s doing that for a reason because you have some fruit. You’re growing. That’s a good thing. Now, His purpose is that you can have more fruit. You notice that: no fruit, fruit, then more fruit, and then much fruit later on. But friend, you don’t get the pruning, the purging unless you have fruit. So if you have some purging going on in your life, don’t say, “Why does this happen to me?” It’s a good thing, friend.

Now, there are growing pains, and that’s pains, growing pains, and that’s no fun. That’s part of growing. I spoke with a fellow Friday, I think it was, and he’s telling me all these problems in his life. I can’t remember all the details. He doesn’t go to a church; there’s another church, a good church, and he’s involved. He’s telling me all these things. And it reminded me of a saying Curtis Hudson used to say. He used to say, “You never learn faith in comfortable surroundings.” And he said, “Man, that’s the truth.” And sometimes it’s just part of God’s purging. He’s trying to grow you. He should take you to another level of more fruit, see?

Years ago, we had gotten peaches somewhere. Man, they’re great-tasting peaches. I mean, just delicious. And so my wife said, “I’m going to try to grow a peach tree from this seed because it was such a good peach.” And so out in the corner of our house, we planted it. See it? Probably she did. And she planted it. And that tree, man, it grew up. And it was a beautiful peach tree. It really was. But it wasn’t producing like—I mean, it may have had a couple of peaches on there, but nothing really significant, nothing we could eat.

So I said, “Well, let me see what’s going on.” So I began to study up on pruning. And I never realized you’re not going to have any fruit-producing peach trees that are producing the peaches you like unless someone’s out there purging them, pruning them. I didn’t know anything about it. I just watched a lot of some videos about how to prune or purge a peach tree. And I was surprised. It reminded me a lot of John 15. It really did.

As I studied up on this thing, a purging or pruning a peach tree, let me just share a couple of things I learned. I’m not an expert for sure on it, but you watch enough YouTube videos, you think you’re an expert on these things. Then you find out the truth that you’re not, you know. But it’s kind of a little bit—one of the common, some of these common things that everybody that I read or watched a YouTube video—there are a couple of things.

They said as you’re pruning or purging a fruit tree, you need—it’s very interesting—they said you need to cut the limbs that are growing straight up. You don’t want the limbs that are growing straight up. They really create a lot of shade, which you don’t want, and they cut off the sun from hitting a lot of other limbs. And in a peach tree, you really want the center of a little bit cut out somewhat, and the outer limbs left there. But if it’s a limb going straight up, cut that thing off.

Well, of course, the first thing that reminded me of is, really, the original sin of pride. Someone asked today about Satan and what’s going on there, and well, the original sin of pride, the five “I wills”—“I will, I will, I will”—and pride, really, it’s the root sin of almost every sin: pride.

P-R-I-D-E. Five letters. The middle letter is I. Pride is simply just making much of myself.

You know, it’s funny, but even pity is kind of a twisted—a twisted form of pride. It’s all about me, what I don’t deserve and what I should get. Pride is just—it’s just sometimes it comes in so many different forms, but it’s all about self-centeredness: me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. You know, it bothers me if I find myself in conversations always talking about myself. Not a good friend; you share about yourself and them both. But if I’m just finding myself, oh, it’s me, me, me, and I make shame on me, really. It’s just a matter of pride.

And that middle letter, I, is just about us and me and me and what I want and what I like and what I think. And it turns into criticalness of other people. Just pride. And if I’m going to bear more fruit, I have to humble myself.

I mention it often, but the Bible is for more than just not having pride; it is for me humbling myself. I mention it often. Sometimes I preach the message on how good are you at humbling yourselves?

And purging is where those limbs that are sticking straight up—I get them out of that. By the way, Job, that great Christian, much out of ten thousand times better Christian than me, probably the best Christian there was. The Bible talks about the best Christian around that area in the East over there. Best Christian there was. And yet I think much of the trial he went through was purging him of self-righteousness. And self-righteousness really is just pride. And if we are going to be Christians that produce more fruit, God says, “I’ve got to get rid of this pride.”

Look, if you go over in Luke 14, Luke 14 in God’s word tonight. Y’all are out there tonight? Amen, y’all out there? I think sometimes when you get quiet, I don’t know if you’re just falling asleep or you’re into the message or what. I’m not really sure, you know. Amen. Brother Frank says, “Into the message.”

Someone said—someone said recently we were with a couple of fellas, and he said, “Didn’t Brother Chip—were the first services he came? Didn’t he say something?” We were talking about Brother Chip. Brother Chip won me over the first time he came. It was right in the middle of COVID. We just had the camera going and a handful of people here, you know. And Brother Chip came in that side door. I didn’t hardly know who in the world. We had met one time; I forgot about it. He came in that side door, and he gave me a big old bear hug. And he said—he said, “Man, I need to see somebody. Be around somebody. He said, ‘If I didn’t give somebody a hug, I’m going to hug my trash man,’ and that’s not good.”

And he just won me over. You know, he really does. I like this guy. I don’t know who he is, but I like the guy. Somebody said, “Didn’t he say something in those first services?” And I’m not sure, but I think this is what it was. They said, “I think it’s one of those services,” and I said something like when someone says amen, that’s like saying, “Sick him to the preacher,” or whatever, you know. And I think he said, “Sick him,” you know, when I’d said that statement, you know. So anyway, I sometimes don’t know where you had it, but I like it when you say, “Sick him,” you know. It helps out.

But Luke chapter number 14, just real quickly, here’s amazing what Jesus says over here. Luke 15—excuse me, 14, verse number 7. Luke 14, verse number 7.

“And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms.” They were all kind of jockeying for position, if you will. By the way, that can happen in a New Testament church, and it’s always sad when it happens. And they’re just trying to get in that position, that seat.

But it’s saying unto them, “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room.” Their weddings were like feasts and festivals, and they had a little bit of different positions where you sat at. You ever been to a wedding or a wedding reception and they got, you know, this is where this person sat, this person sat, and this, you know, all that other stuff? This is where family, the bride’s family, and all those different things. A little bit along my life.

“When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him: And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place.” And thou begin with shame. Pride always leaves shame. Stay humble or stumble, you know. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. “Give this man place, and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.”

“But when thou art bidden, go and set down in the lowest room.” And that’s what Jesus said. Go take the lowest spot. Go find the lowest thing. I’m always impressed by someone when they come in and they find maybe the person that doesn’t have a lot of friends, or maybe those that are not really social apt, you know, and they’re just kind of alone. And I’m always impressed when somebody goes to be friends of those people, that lone person. Maybe a little bit along that line.

“But when they are bidden, go and sit down first in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee”—this is interesting, friend—“Friend, go up higher.” That represents Jesus when it comes to you. That’s probably because Jesus, He went down to the low and down-and-outers. You’re on the same page with Him. That’s the people He ministered to, the publicans. Pharisees didn’t like it. But Jesus reached out to those people.

“He may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.” Here’s the principle: “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Wow. No wonder God says, “Hey, look at that, more fruit. I need to purge you.” And they say, “Man, cut those limbs that are sticking straight up. Cut them down. Cut them down. Cut them down.” That’s amazing.

You know, the devil, he uses the same formula a little bit. They use the military: He likes to divide and conquer. Divide and conquer. Divide and conquer. You know what the Bible says over in Proverbs 13:10? You know the verse. “Only by pride cometh contention.” So if he knows if he can get some pride in there, there’s going to come some contention. He can divide, and he conquers. That’s what he does in churches. Maybe just get a little pride in there, there’s going to be some contention. And where there’s contention, boy, Satan—woo-hoo!—he divides. And he does the same thing in marriage. All in my pride comes contention.

It’s interesting, the rest of that verse: “but with the well-advised is wisdom.” I tend to think that “well-advised” is those that live long enough and have been wise enough—not necessarily live long enough, but they’re honest enough and they see enough life. I realize, “I ain’t got no reason to get too proud here. I got problems too.” They’re well-advised. They realize, yeah, they got problems, but I do too.

“Only by pride cometh contention.” Boy, Satan—Satan would love to get into a marriage or a church or a youth department or all. He loves it; he’s working at those things. And if I’m going to conquer, it is so important if we’re going to have more fruit. Anybody right there used to say, “Man, I’d like to produce more fruit for the Lord”? Anybody like that? Me too. I’m with you. And God said, “You’ve got some fruit. And because of that, I purge.” And part of purging is those limbs sticking straight up. God said, “Let me take care of that.”

Now let’s get a couple more thoughts in here just very briefly tonight about purging or pruning. As I was studying up, I was watching those YouTube videos and reading stuff about how to prune a peach tree. They said all the limbs sticking straight up, get them out of there. You’re not going to have a producing fruit tree with that.

And then they would say this—this is very interesting to me—but they said if limbs are touching one another, you don’t want that. It will spread disease very quickly, and cut those, at least one of those, or the limbs are touching one another. Now, husband and wife, they’re one. But can I just very briefly on this point here?

And I praise God, Brother Johnny said it tonight, we had a friendly church, and I don’t think we’re necessarily a problem here, and I’m not trying to say that. Preventive maintenance is always the best maintenance, though. A clique in a church can hurt a church real quickly. And this morning we preached, part of the church is having fellowship. But be careful of just, you know, maybe one or two people just always together. And I understand you naturally gravitate to one person; I understand. I get that. But I must be careful. I’m always including everybody into my group, and I’m not just forming my little clique, if you will.

And can I just say this? It’s never good if two couples just bond to one another and nobody else, you know, or just some people just always together, and nobody else is part of that. And we don’t have those problems, and I’m thankful for those problems that we don’t have those problems, but just thought of it—so interesting, they point: Boy, don’t let those limbs, if they’re touching, cut them now. They don’t need to be like that.

Now let’s get another thing they said. And I was trying to study up about peach trees and trying to learn about this stuff. They said if they have a lot of maybe limbs growing out and it’s got all kind of little twigs, if you will, little bitty limbs all over that limb, just a little bit tiny things. And he said it can have so much that it doesn’t have airflow through there. It doesn’t have oxygen getting into it and sunlight getting to it. And so a lot of those little bitty limbs, you have to cut those.

And for my mind, I thought, as God, He purges and He does this, we’ve got to let Him work in our lives. But sometimes I have these limbs that just get weighted down, if you will, from all the little bitty twigs. Of course, my mind took me over there to Hebrews chapter number 12. Look over there real quickly, if you will. You’ll know it. You’ll know it. Verse number one, you’ll know it. Hebrews 12:1.

And He says over there—I’m waiting for a second. I hear those turning of the pages. That’s a wonderful sound, as long as it doesn’t last too long, you know. Hebrews chapter 12, and in verse number one right there, He says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every—” what’s the next word?—“weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Wait, I thought about as I would read and listen and watch, and how they said the little bitty twigs are just one limb, you know. It just gets so many, and it can’t get oxygen, air flow through there, and it’s just kind of weighted down.

Job, remember Satan—Satan was after Job. God lifted His hand and said, “Oh, Satan did it.” That’s what always happens. In the old world, the devil blames God, but Satan gets in there. God allows things. Satan gets in there, and boy, he basically took everything away from Job. Took his finances away, took his friends—really, I think his servants were his companions—and his friends, the three friends, and eventually four that came there, they weren’t much of friends for sure, the three. Took him away. They started criticizing him. And his wife, she was burdened down, a little bit of her support, and his health. I mean, just really, in some ways, just stripped him of it. It just took everything away. And what happened? Job said, “I’m going to come forth as gold.” Praise the Lord for Job, right?

What happened when Job began to pray for his friends? What happened? God blessed him twice as much, you know, out there? I think maybe the devil sometimes has learned a great lesson from that. Man, he lost. He got some teeth knocked out in that fight, you know, and I’ll talk about it. I mean, when he smiles, he’s missing teeth from that one there because of all these years we’ve been blessed by the Book of Job, you know. I like that, and the devil gets beat up a little bit.

The whole devil’s a smart fellow, right? Wise old fox we used to think about in Sunday school. And so towards the end of the Bible over there in Revelation, they got those seven churches of Asia Minor. What was the worst church of all of them? Help me out. You know it. Laodicea. God said, “I will spew you out of my mouth.” You make me want to throw up. Pretty strong language from God, see?

Now, did Satan take everything away from them? No. Satan kind of reversed his trick on that one. They were rich and increased with goods, and they said, “We have need of nothing.” He gave them everything as far as this world. I’m not saying that’s the sin to have things. When God has blessed you financially, praise the Lord for it. I’m not against it. I mean, praise the Lord, you’re in church, you’re probably tithing, amen, you know. I’m not against it. But if I’m not careful in America as a Christian, so many things are thrown at us, and we can’t produce the fruit like we need to. And I’m not saying they’re necessarily bad, but I must be wise about it. And I must sometimes—Sunday school mentioned it—but sometimes I just, I have to simplify my life. Because if I’m not careful, I have so many little bitty twigs sticking off all over the place.

You know, those old preachers in some ways, the ones that God used to really form this great country—I’m talking about way back, those itinerant preachers that—that, I’m talking about the beginning days of America—they would travel a circuit on their horse. I mean, because they were in Montana where, you know, you didn’t see anybody for a long time, and I’m joking about the Montana part. That’s kind of the way it was. I mean, and they traveled this circuit. Some of those old great preachers, you know, they say they traveled by horseback, and you can’t carry much on a horse. And they might have some saddlebags, but you can’t, you know, might have an extra change or two, but you can’t have a lot in there. And they say typically, besides maybe some change of clothes, all they had was their Bible and a songbook. And they would travel. They made sure those old preachers, some of those great ones, they had their Bible and their hymnbook.

Now, I’m not saying throw everything away beside your Bible and your songbook, all right? But maybe there’s a great lesson in that. Sometimes I can just get so many weights that I—if I’m going to have more fruit, I need to get purged from those. God does it. He does it. And if you’re getting pruned, you’re getting purged a little, but that’s a good sign. That’s not a bad thing. I don’t like it. I hate to see sometimes—I see some of our people going through bad times and suffering. I don’t like to see you go through it, but I also realize no fruit, then He takes you away. But you’re producing fruit, God says, “Oh, I’ve got to purge you a little bit,” but to get more fruit. And you abide, and you get clean, and all these things, much fruit. But part of this process is just the pruning.

A. J. Gordon, the preacher years gone by, he used to say, “God, be thorough with me. Be thorough with me.” And sometimes God’s bringing pruning, He’s bringing purging in our lives. I don’t like it, but if you’re going to have more fruit—and I don’t know what all that means for you in your life, that more fruit—there’s a lot there. I know the ultimate of it. But if I’m going to have that more fruit, pruning.

Yesterday afternoon, we were sitting on the back porch for just a minute or two, my wife and I. Things have been pretty busy, and my wife was on the back porch, and I thought, “Man, I just need to go sit with a pretty lady for a bit.” Amen, you know. I said, “Hey, we ain’t going to come out and just sit with you for a bit on the back porch.” And the squirrels were coming out. Now that’s a good thing because we’ve had these hawks. No offense here. We looked them up. I think they’re called Cooper Hawks. We were like, “Wow,” you know, I didn’t know that, Brother Kevin, man. But these hawks have been—they’re amazing—but they’ve been getting our squirrels in the backyard, and we don’t have much squirrel population. And my wife’s like, “They’re all gone.” I’m like, “Those squirrels are in hiding, man. They’re around. They just don’t want to be around when those hawks are around.” We watched them go after about two or three hawks at one time go after one squirrel, man, he was running for his life. It was awesome to watch. We finally had to leave; didn’t get the end of it. But anyway, I’m getting off, you know.

But we were sitting on the back porch, and we saw the squirrel population coming out. There were three, maybe four of them. My wife was like, “You better run and hide,” you know. I think the hawks were gone for a bit, but so we were just watching these squirrels, and they were working away. They were busy old squirrels just working. And um…

There’s a tree. I’m bad. I already mentioned her. I’m bad about knowing exactly what tree it is. I don’t think it’s a black walnut. I think there’s the other ones that my wife was saying. But some kind of tree. It’s got all these—I’m not sure—some kind of nuts on there. And they’re green right now. But those squirrels, they like to get those nuts off that tree. And then they’ll get them down there, and then they’ll go down there. Man, they’ll just tear those nuts up.

And so we were watching; there were three, maybe four squirrels yesterday. And we were watching them. They would climb all this big, tall tree. They were climbing all over that tree. And then they were going out to the limbs, the branches where all those nuts were. And they were just really—they were going from limb to limb, and they would shake it a little bit, and some of those nuts would fall off. And boy, they were working that tree, and then someone would go down there and get these nuts. Some of them were digging holes and burying them. And it’s just neat to watch all that going on, you know. And we were watching it, and one went all over to the—it’s a tall—went all over to the top of that tree. I mean, and just getting on the extremities of the limbs. Squirrels are amazing, you know, and they’d shake it, the nuts would fall.

I told Ms. Tammy, I said, “Maybe we are together, go out there as they’re dropping all, and go up and gather all those nuts.” Those squirrels would be mad at us, wouldn’t they? She said, “We’d be out there, they’d be squawking all the—” you know, they wouldn’t like it, you know. But here’s the thing: that tree, usually on the end of the limbs, had all kind of fruit. Right now it’s like nuts, whatever kind they are, all over that tree. And that’s what God wants for you.

He’s the vine. He’s the trunk, if you will. You’re the branch. And He wants you to have, yes, not no fruit, but fruit, and then more fruit, and then much fruit. Part of that process is purging. Hey, would you let Him have His way with you? Would you do that?

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes tonight? Our heads are bowed, eyes are closed. You say, “You know what, Lord? I want to produce fruit for You in my life, in others’ lives. I’d like to get to more fruit. God, I want You to be thorough. I want You to work in my heart and my life.” I’m going to ask, and I’m going to have you raise your hand, but would you just stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. Would you come? Would you ask the Lord—that would you just stand right there? And we’re going to have a word of prayer. Would you? “Lord, I’d like to have more fruit for You.” Would you let Him know that? Come pray, spend some time. “Lord, I’d like to have more fruit for You.”

Let’s pray. Father, thank You. You are the vine. We don’t have to produce; You produce, but You do it through us. Lord, I pray You to have Your will and Your way with us tonight. Help us to abide in You. And then, Lord, would You grow us? Lord, purge us. Help us to respond properly when You’re purging. Lord, I do pray there be a great fall for these people tonight, having more fruit in their lives for You. Lord, bless the night. Lessen the invitation, Father, please, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Would you come? Let Him know, “Lord, I want more fruit.” Would you let Him know that? “I’d like more fruit for You.” Let Him know that I spoke to your heart. Come, let Him know, “I’d like to have more fruit.” Let Him purge. Let Him know that if He’s pruning a little bit on you, don’t get mad, don’t get bitter, don’t get rebellious, don’t get stubborn. Say, “All right, Lord, I need some cutting there. I don’t like it per se. You’re not going to like it. Nobody likes to get cut in.” Let Him know, “Lord, I’d like to produce more.” When He comes, say, “All right, Lord. All right.”

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - Purging - Sunday PM 08142022