Purged for greater use in Christ’s kingdom.

John  15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Beloved, it is painful but truthful, that in the church of Christ globally, there are two categories of people.

The first group are like Ephraim and bastards. Because of the hardness of their hearts, they refused corrections determinedly. God has decided to leave them, till they passed on to eternal damnation.

Hosea  4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

Hebrews  12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

So ultimately they shall be damned and he’ll bound.

John  15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

The second group are sons, always ready to be corrected and guided on the path of rectitude.

John  15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  

Hebrews  12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Revelation  3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Pause here and sincerely examine yourself. Where do you belong? Can God teach you to profit and be guided. I am persuaded that, that is who you are.

Isaiah  48:17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.  48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

Isaiah  42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.  42:19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’s servant?  42:20 Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.

But then, the purging and chastening sometimes, is very very painful.  Listen to the following:

Malachi  3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

2 Timothy  2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Hebrews  12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.  12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Receive grace to be submissive to God’s purging for your good here and hereafter in Jesus name.

1. Purging will make you to be more righteous.

Job  17:9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

Titus  2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

2. Purging will make you a teacher of God’s unchanging, unfailing, eternal, immutable and infallible words.

Psalms  51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

3. Purging will help you to keep God’s blessings for a lifetime 

Proverbs  4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

4. Purging will help you to know God more .

Hosea  6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

5. Purging will secure for you blissful eternity 

Matthew  3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

2 Corinthians  4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

6. Purging will enlarge you in all areas of your life.

Matthew  13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

7. Purging is for your good.

Romans  8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

8. Purging will help you to partake in the imminent rapture.

1 Thessalonians  5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Please submit to God’s purging and you shall be blessed here and hereafter in Jesus name.

John  15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Let us pray.