PRODUCING GOOD FRUIT
Matthew 7:15-23 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Intro: I have been eating lots of fruit and vegetables over the past few months. I have come to like some kinds of fruit almost as much as I like dessert. There is nothing like a good nectarine, so juicy and sweet, with just a little tangy flavor to it. And those Hermiston watermelons. Wow! When you get a good ripe one, I am fairly certain that those will be served in heaven. I have also been juicing several fruits. One of my favorites is grapefruit, orange, and apple. Well, before you make a run on the grocery store, I’d better get on with the message.
-Jesus said that we would know people by their fruits. He also said that we should be producing plenty of good fruit in our own lives. Some people produce a lot of fruit in their lives, but most of it is bad fruit. They get results, but not the kind you really want. We may find ourselves making excuses for the lack of good fruit in our lives. “Oh, I am too busy to bother with that. I don’t have time to plant, water, cultivate, or nurture the fruit that should be growing in my life.” Or maybe we think we are incapable of producing the good fruit that is needed in our lives. We say, “I could never do that. I’m just not good with words.” Or, “I need my sleep. I can’t wake up that early in the morning to spend time with the Lord.” Whatever our excuses might be for not producing the good fruit that Jesus wants from us, there is a name for them: fruit loops! Instead of doing God’s will and pursuing whatever it takes to help us grow, we come up with loop holes to avoid the responsibility of growing fruit in our lives. Well, fruit loops won’t cut it! We must have the real fruit in our lives so we can make a positive impact on the world, and so we can please our Creator. Besides, there are already enough fruit loops in the world today. God’s people in this community are called to be fruit producers, not fruit loops. Jesus made it clear: only good trees bear good fruit, and bad trees bear bad fruit. People will know what kind of tree we are by the fruit they see in our lives. Our identity is revealed by what is seen in our lives. Now, here is the main idea I’d like to discuss today.
Prop: We must produce much good fruit in our lives, if we ever hope to make a difference in the lives of others.
Interrogative: How can we get the good fruit to grow in our lives?
TS: Today, we will be looking at types of fruit and discuss how to grow the good stuff.
I. Undesirable Fruit
-Somebody once said, “Forbidden fruit is responsible for many a bad jam.” The first forbidden fruit we see is in the garden of Eden when God said, “Don’t!” Of the thousands of wonderful things Adam & Eve could have enjoyed in the garden, they desired what was forbidden. There is a book titled, “The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank.” Some things can look so good and desirable, but underneath is the filth and stench of something repulsive and disgusting. Proverbs 14:12 says 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
-Now apples seem to be one of the most common fruits, so I have made some comparisons with different kinds of apples to show some of the bad or undesirable fruit that we must guard against in our lives.
A. Sour Apples – These speak of bitterness and unforgiveness. Maybe someone offended you, and you have allowed that to make you hard and bitter. Gossip is one thing that can breed sour apples. However, Hebrews 12:15 warns against allowing any root of bitterness to spring up, causing trouble. It says that bitterness not only affects you, but is harmful to those around you as well. When we are bitter, it affects our spouse, our children, our friends, and our acquaintances. It is so easy to spread bitterness. God will not bless bitter people, and He will not bless a bitter church. If you find yourself allowing bitterness to grow in your heart, please don’t let it grow any more. Call on the Lord, and ask Him for the grace to help you forgive the person(s) you are having difficulty with. Then, according to Matt. 5 and Matt. 18, go and make things right with them. Throw out the sour apples from your life and don’t become one.
B. Rotten Apples – This may speak of impurity, but it might also speak of relying on old fruit. Maybe we did something for the Lord in the past, and we often remind Him of it. However, He wants fresh fruit in our lives, not dehydrated or rotten fruit. Keep it fresh!
-In relation to impurity, if we allow impure thoughts & influences to stay in our minds & in our lives, they will begin to have a harmful effect on us. If you’ve ever watched an apple go bad, it starts as just a little spot, but spreads throughout the rest of the apple.
-The other day I stopped at an apple tree alongside the road, because I had seen some apples on it earlier. Well, I had mostly missed my opportunity for good apples. I had waited too long. I found a few good ones on the ground, but most of them were mushy and rotten.
-What happens when you have a rotten apple mixed in with a bunch of good ones? Do the good ones have the power to change the rotten one? NO! You have to get rid of the rotten one, or the rot will spread to all the apples. Likewise, we must confess and get rid of anything in our lives that does not please God. We must guard our influences and not harbor a secret part of our lives. Sin needs a place to hide. Do not provide one!
C. Wormy Apples – refer to pride in our lives. I think of Herod in Acts 12. The people of Tyre & Sidon were really buttering Herod up, because he had apparently been very angry with them. Now, they were lobbying his favor because their food supply came from his country. So, one day Kind Herod put on his royal apparel, sat down on his throne, and gave a speech to the people of Tyre & Sidon that would have put Bill Clinton to shame. In response, the people began to stroke his ego and shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man! Then immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.”
-Wow! Pride is like one of those worms eating into our spirit. When we begin to think too much of ourselves and say, “You know, God is pretty lucky to have me on His side. In fact, I really don’t know what He would do without me. Where would this church be without me?” While I would never downplay the important role that each member plays in Christ’s church, I would caution us to watch for worms. Next time you start thinking more of yourself than you ought to think, remember the worms. Don’t let pride come in and ruin the good fruit that God is growing in your life.
D. Bruised Apples – this may refer to someone who has fallen away from God. Just as an apple falls from the tree, perhaps there is someone who has fallen from grace and is no longer in fellowship with God. Whatever may have caused that fall, it is likely that the fall caused some bruises. It hurts to be away from God, but maybe you are not sure how to get back on the tree of life. Maybe you are not sure if God even wants anything to do with you anymore. Please, let me assure you that God wants you back! He loves you with an everlasting love. The Bible tells us that God is married to the backslider. That means that He still wants those who have walked away from Him to come back and be reconciled to Him. Listen to what Jesus said He came to do from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me and has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to comfort and provide for all who mourn.” Does this sound like God doesn’t want you? Believe me, He will love you, accept you, and welcome you back if you will call on Him.
-If this is you, aren’t you ready to come back home? You may have fallen, but you can get up. Jesus will heal your hurts and set you on the right path again.
E. No Apples – Jesus spoke of good fruit and bad fruit in our text, but He also spoke of the lack of fruit in Luke 13:6-9 6 ”Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 8 "'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"
-It is not in God’s plan to have fruitless followers. However, I do see a warning and a 2nd chance here. 3 years of barrenness had gone by. The owner noticed that the tree was always taking, but never giving. It was using up the ground, taking up space and enjoying the nourishment and attention from the keeper, but never did it give any fruit in return. The parallel is indeed frightening. Do we get so self-absorbed that we never reach out to help others? Is it all about us? Do we have the audacity to gobble up everything provided to us from the Master’s hand and rarely share it with those who are going without? We have so much to offer, but are we offering it?
-What should we do if we find ourselves with no apples, bearing little or no fruit for the Lord? We should start by offering ourselves to Him in a new way and asking Him to help us produce fruit in our lives. He is willing. Are we?
-The warning from this passage is that trees that do not bear fruit will be cut down. The second chance is that the keeper/gardener wants a little more time to work with the tree. He wants to dig around it, fertilize it, water it, and see if it will indeed bear fruit. If it still does not produce, then it will be cut down. God wants to stir up the soil around our hearts & fertilize it. As any farmer can tell you, fertilizer can be kind of stinky. The keeper of our hearts may allow painful or stinky situations come our way to help us grow and bear fruit. We can either complain about the smell, or we can grow. Gripe or grow… which will you choose?
-Let’s choose to be productive. God will give the increase of fruit in our lives if we ask Him.
TS: Now, let’s take a look at what the good fruit is.
II. Good Fruit
-Good trees bear good fruit; bad trees bear bad fruit.
-James 3:17-18 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
A. The Fruit of Righteousness – there are 2 perspectives on the fruit of righteousness. First, righteousness itself is fruit which is evident in a Christian because of Christ’s work on the cross. A Christian is righteous in standing before God. If fact, the very righteousness of Christ has been given to the believer. God sees us as righteous as His own Son, Jesus. Jesus became sin for us, so that we could become the righteousness of God. What a trade! Sin for righteousness! Filth for purity! Sorrows and sickness for the joy of the Lord! We got the better deal!
-The 2nd perspective of the fruit of righteousness is that Christ’s righteousness produces fruit in our lives. If we are righteous, there will be good results in our lives. Our conduct will reflect the goodness of Christ. Our attitude will reflect the character of Christ. Our words and manner of life will testify to the righteousness of Christ.
B. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)
Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
-These things are natural expressions of people who have the HS living in them. It should become natural for a Christian to love, to be joyful, to have peace, to be patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.
-When we align ourselves with the Spirit of God, we will see these kinds of results.
C. The Fruit of Souls (Matt. 28:19)
-Matthew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
-Proverbs 11:30 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
-Romans 10:13-15 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
-Christians are designed to reproduce new Christians. Life begets life! If we have the life of Christ in us, then it should be contagious enough to spark life in others, as we humbly share the good news with them.
TS: Now, maybe you are thinking, “I already know that I need to bear more good fruit, but how do I go about it?” Let’s look at a few keys to growing good fruit.
III. How to Grow Good Fruit
-At least 3 things are needed to grow good fruit in our lives:
1. Willingness – Are you willing to let God use you? Are you willing to make some sacrifices? It may cost you your personal ambitions, time, finances, energy, along with other things. Are you willing to be inconvenienced for the Lord’s work? Are you bold enough to pray, “Whatever it takes, Lord”?
2. Compassion – seeing people’s real value & needs as God sees them.
3. Empowerment – enablement to be a witness to others of what Jesus has done in your life (Acts 1:8).
-God wants to use you for His eternal purposes – reaching the lost and ministering to those in need. This is all part of bearing fruit.
-John 15 speaks of the need for pruning so we can bear more fruit. There, Jesus says that if a tree bears no fruit, then it is taken away and cast into the fire. However, if it bears some fruit, then God prunes it so it can bear more fruit.
-I don’t know about you, but I need constant pruning by the Lord. I think I can safely speak for the American church as a whole. We need to become desperate for God, and quit relying on ourselves or our source of income. Our energies and resources need to be channeled into bearing fruit instead of squandering God’s blessings on ourselves. The exciting, but painful, news is that God is doing it! He is calling His people away from materialism and self-indulgence. He is shaking His church, getting us ready for a great harvest. Yes, evil will increase, but where sin abounds, there grace abounds even more! Are you ready for harvest? Are you ready for battle? The lines have been drawn and the workers and warriors are preparing themselves. Are you ready to fight, or would you rather stay home? Let’s invite God to prune away our selfishness, laziness, apathy, greed, pride, and selfish wants. Create in me a clean heart, O God!
Conclusion: As we close, how is the fruit coming in your life? Are your producing fruit by living a life that pleases God and helps people? Maybe God has been digging around your roots, trying to stimulate growth. It may get uncomfortable, but it is absolutely necessary! Maybe He is in the process of pruning the extra branches from your life. This too is painful, but must be done. If you will cooperate with God and let His work take effect in your heart, you will begin producing more fruit than you ever thought possible. God wants to give the increase!
-Possibly today you are missing one important dynamic. The Bible says that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it. Likewise, unless the Lord plants the tree, it can bear no good fruit. Isaiah said that the Lord would comfort those who mourn, and give them beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise to replace the spirit of heaviness – that they may be called trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord.
-Only a tree of righteousness can bear the fruit of righteousness. Only good trees can bear good fruit. Only bad trees bear bad fruit. If today you are not sure what kind of tree you are, but you want to be a tree of righteousness, planted by the Lord, you can ask Him to make you a good tree. If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, in which you are trusting Him for the forgiveness of the wrongs in your life, are you ready to start one? There is only One who can forgive you and give you eternal life. There is only One who can help produce good fruit in your life. He will give you a new heart and help you start over.
-With heads bowed and eyes closed, if you want to invite Jesus into your life today, would you let me know by lifting your hand? God knows all about you, and He has been drawing you to Himself for quite some time. Will you respond to Him today?
-Perhaps you are a Christian, but you see the need for better fruit in your life. No more sour apples of bitterness or unforgiveness. No more rotten apples of sin or impurity. No more wormy apples of pride. No more bruised apples from falling away from Christ. And no more barrenness in your heart. It is time to grow and bear fruit for the Lord.
2005
