Dear Christian friends:

Now we are enjoying the wonderful season of the year called, SPRING. It makes our hearts glad to feel the warm sun and see the green leaves on the trees and the flowers blooming. Mother's Day is always on the second Sunday of May when SPRING is in full bloom, and we have many flowers to remember and honor mother.

SPRING should remind us Christians of our new life in Christ, our risen and living Savior. Jesus' resurrection also happened in the SPRING. As the sun warms the ground and makes things become alive and growing beautifully, so the voice of our risen and living Savior awakens us and calls us to life and growth and to bloom and bear fruit.

That is what Jesus is telling us in the Gospel lesson for today. He compares us Christians to the branches of a grape vine and He compares Himself with the vine. He says we Christians must be like branches joined to the vine so that we can stay alive and grow and produce much fruit. So this morning, I want to preach about


The Holy Spirit has joined us to the true VINE, Jesus Christ, that we may produce the Spirit's fruits. It is very important for us to be joined with Him. If we are not joined with Jesus, we are like a branch cut off from the vine. You know what happens to a branch that breaks off of the tree or vine. It dies quickly and will produce no fruit. If we join with our risen and living Savior and stay joined with Him, we will produce many beautiful fruits.

How are we joined with Jesus? How do we stay joined with Him? Through hearing His voice, Jesus says, “Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." We are clean. That means God forgives our sins through Jesus who died upon the cross and arose on Easter morning. Jesus has told us that he had to suffer and die, and on the third day arise so that we may have forgiveness of sins and eternal life, spiritual life now on earth and forever in heaven. Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25)

Here, Jesus means not only the dead in their graves who will hear His voice on the Last Day and arise, but He also means those who hear His voice now. He says, "The hour is coming and now is the time." Jesus means the spiritually dead who are walking around on the earth. They work and play and breathe, but they are dead. Their spirit is dead because they have not yet heard Jesus' word about sin and forgiveness of sins through His death and resurrection. They do not believe in Jesus and so they are still dead.

We who believe in Jesus who have been born again and have received new life in Him are joined with Jesus. We have heard His "voice" and must continue to hear His word so that we may stay joined in Him. Jesus says in our text, "Abide in Me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abides in the vine; no more can you except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in me and I in Him, the same produces much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (verses 4-5)

It is vital that we stay joined with Jesus continually. If we do, we stay alive spiritually and "produce much fruit", and do right and good works. If we do not say joined with Jesus, our new life dies and the old sinful life takes control over us again and we do the works of sin and evil, producing bad fruits.

Therefore, the important question is this: Are you staying joined with Jesus? Are you daily hearing His voice? In the Bible, we hear the voice of Jesus. Are you reading your Bible regularly? Here at church services, we can hear the voice of Jesus when the pastor reads the Epistle and Gospel lessons and also when he preaches the sermons. You can also hear the voice of Jesus when the pastor baptizes someone and prepares the Lord's Supper. Are you attending the church services regularly to hear the voice of Jesus, our risen and living Savior?

In Bible Class, you can also hear the voice of Jesus which helps you to stay joined to the Vine like a living fruit, producing branches. Do you attend these Bible Classes? When you come to Bible Class, do you expect to hear Jesus' voice? Or do you expect to hear only the pastor or Mr. Kotal? Too often, we come to church expecting to hear only the voices of men, but in fact it is the voice of Jesus! Jesus said to His disciples, when He sent them out to teach and preach, "He that hears you, hears Me." (Luke 10:16)

"Branches" that stay joined in the Vine and produce much fruit are very precious. Their fruit brings blessings to many people in the world. These branches, these spiritually alive Christians do much good for the world. Jesus says in our text, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you want, and it will be done for you." God hears their prayers and answers their prayers. Therefore, the poor, the sick, the hungry, the needy in body and spirit receive help and blessings. The Holy Spirit controls their lives and they produce the Spirit's fruits: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

"Branches" that stay joined in the Vine, Jesus, are precious, also because God, the heavenly Father, the Vine-Keeper receives honor and praise when they produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in our text, "Herein, is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit." (verse 8)

When we stay joined in Jesus, and do the good works of the Holy Spirit in the world, then people will see our good works and be impressed and join with us in praising God. Last Monday, Mr. Harold Thuve and I went with Mr. Lee to Hughes Aircraft Co. to help Mr. Lee apply for a job there. After we finished, we went to have lunch at Denny's which was nearby. While we were waiting for our food, we were talking and Mr. Lee said he was very impressed because here in the U.S.A. people help the deaf get jobs, and large companies hire the handicapped. Mr. Lee said, "In Hong Kong, where I came from, they do not care about the deaf or the handicapped. They do not train them and they refuse to give them jobs. If you go and ask for work, they tell you to get out!" Mr. Lee said that many deaf become beggars or thieves because they cannot get work. I said to Mr. Lee, "Do you know why people here in the U.S.A. help the deaf and other handicapped people? It is because we try to follow Jesus' way." Mr. Lee praised God because he saw Mr. Thuve's good works and also saw many other Christians good works. So many other people are impressed and they will praise God when they see your good works, your fruits of the new life in Christ.

O Lord, forgive us when we fail to stay joined with You and bear no fruit, or even worse, produce bad fruit. Help us to stay joined to You through Your Word, so we can produce much good fruit, give honor to Your name and prove that we really are Your disciples.

Amen.