Why Christmas Is a Big Deal:
Fruit
Scripture Text: Luke 3.7-18
INTRODUCTION
When I go mountain hiking, it is a long, physically-draining experience. My usual approach is to get-the-gear-on, …plug-up my MP3 player, …and shut-out the ache-in-my-knees by listening to good-music!
There’s an interesting-little-ritual that many hikers participate in… At certain places along the trail, …they will place a rock on a pile-of-rocks ~ (they are called ‘cairns’ ~) …a pile that was-started by the hundreds of hikers who’ve made-it-that-far before them. And as you-place your-rock on the pile, …it’s your-way-of-saying, “I was here! I made it, too!” The pile-of-rocks stands as a silent-witness to the achievement. And as-long-as that pile-of-rocks-stands, …you can look at it and remember that you made it to that-point ~ …whether-it-be 12,000 feet, …or 13,500 feet above sea-level, …or, at 14,000 feet as you begin the final-approach to the summit.
People have been piling up rocks for a very-long-time. It’s not-just mountain hikers ~ …leaving those piles-of-silent-testimonies, …but-also the ancient Egyptians ~ …piling stones on top of one-another (to form the pyramids); …and the Romans ~ …who built the coliseums and theaters; …and the Aztec and Mayan civilization ~ …which carved cities out of the jungles of central-America; ….and the people-of-God ~ like Jacob, who set up a large stone as a symbolic-reminder of-when God appeared to Him at a place called ‘Bethel’ …and the Israelites ~ who piled up stones as they marched through the River-Jordan, ….and when God made covenant with Joshua and the people of Israel ~ …the people of God set up piles of rocks to stand as witnesses to what had happened at significant-spots in-the-road.
And-whenever someone would pass-that-way, again, …they would see the pile-of-rocks and they would remember ~ …They remembered what happened there-in-that place; …they remembered that they had been-there and that God had-met-them there, …and it would be an occasion to celebrate the goodness-and-the-blessings of God. He is faithful ~ and the piles of rocks testified to the things that God had-done to bring them along-the-way.
TRANSITION
When John the Baptist started preaching and telling the people they needed-to-repent, …he knew that the people would protest (at-least, to-a-point), …and they would point to the piles-of-rocks in the past. They would point to the pile-of-rocks that Jacob and Joshua and others ~ …John knew that the people would point to the piles of rocks as a way-of-saying: “We’re the children of the guy that left-this-stone! “We are the heirs of his heritage! “Our father-Abraham met with God, …and God made promises to-him, “…and that’s good-enough for us!”
The problem with that argument is (and John says this…): …they weren’t-there when those rocks were piled-up! Abraham left a tremendous-testimony to God’s grace and His promises; …Joshua was a tremendous leader and his pile-of-rocks represent the promises-fulfilled …but the children can’t claim the rocks unless they walk-the-path.
Let-me-give-you-an-example: I have left rocks in the piles of stones that stand on many of the mountains of Colorado. Mt Yale Mt Sherman, Mt Shavano Mt Lincoln ~ …but, just-because I’ve left rocks there, …doesn’t-mean that my son can claim them as his-own. I have been-there ~ …and the rocks that I’ve left on those mountains testify to me being-there. But, if he wants to claim those rocks, …he’s got to strap-on his hiking-boots, …and make the hike into the thin-air, for-himself.
When the people protest to John the Baptist, …saying that they are the children of Abraham, …John says that God is able to make children-for-Abraham out of the stones lying-on-the-ground. Essentially, John is saying, To be true children of Abraham, you’ve got to walk-the-walk that he walked ~ …you’ve got to live-by-faith in Abraham’s God, …not by-faith-in the pile-of-rocks that Abraham left!
BODY
Well… What would it look-like to walk-the-walk that Abraham-walked? That’s a good-question… And John the Baptist gives us answers. If you want to walk-the-path that Abraham traveled, …if you want to be called a true-child of Abraham, …if you want to be certain that things-are-good between you-and-God, ….this is what-you’ve-gotta-do: Repent!
I. Repent
For those-of-us who are familiar with the Christmas-story ~ …we remember what-kind-of-preacher John-the-Baptist is. He is fiery. He is combative. He is in-your-face, …callin’ it like it is! And when he steps-onto-the-stage, …and starts preaching to the crowds, …what does he say?... “You brood of vipers!”
I’d say that’s kinda gruff! When Zig Ziglar wrote his popular book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, …I’m pretty-sure that he did not recommend starting a conversation by calling-a-person a ‘snake’! John the Baptist may not be worried about “winning friends” ~ …but he is interested in fulfilling his calling: …to “prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
And, if you were to boil-down the main-message that John-the-Baptist preached, …Luke tells us that it was this:
“[John] went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3.3)
God is a holy God who desires a relationship with us ~ …but we have let sin get-in-the-way. Therefore, as-John-says, we’ve gotta repent ~ …which-means: change directions, …do a 180, …call on God for mercy and seek His forgiveness.
John is really-just-plain-blunt about the state-of-things. He’s not-too-worried about candy-coating things. He says it like it is.
Zig Ziglar might wanna-whisper in John’s ear that he’s going-about-things all the wrong-way! But the truth-is, crowds flocked to hear John preach ~ …and not-just-because they were looking for a comedic-funny-hour. They went to listen to John preach because his-words cut-their-hearts!
He may not have been polished; …he wasn’t politically-correct; …and kinda got-in-yer-face ~ …but, people were listening to John the Baptist. The words that came out of his mouth resonated with the conviction that they felt in their own hearts. And they responded. They listened and they cried-out to him: “What should we do?”
What should we do?... Isn’t that interesting!?!
It’s as though the people knew that there was something that went-along-with heart-felt-repentance. It’s not-enough to feel sorry-in-your-heart for wrongs-committed. It’s not-enough to regret choices-made that didn’t honor God. Something needs to be done. Outward-actions must accompany inward decisions. Repentance is not simply a private, personal-choice that one makes in the quietness-of a solitary moment. Repentance means changing directions.
Repentance is not-simply coming-to-the-realization that “I’ve made some-bad-decisions; “…I’ve gotten-myself lost; “…I’m sorry for getting in this predicament!” No… Repentance also means ‘turning around’, …getting on a different road, …getting things right-with-God.
So, the people come to John ~ …their hearts are convicted; …they know they need to repent; …but they also know that there needs to be changes in their lives. So, they ask John: “What must we do?”
And John obliges-them, by giving-them an-answer:
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance… Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
II. Practical Suggestions
I can almost hear some protests: “What’s all-this about ‘fruit’, …and ‘action’, …and doing!?! ~ “Isn’t this-just works-righteousness? “The Bible doesn’t teach us that we’ve gotta work, (or earn) …our way into God’s good-graces, does it?”
No… when the Bible talks about the ‘fruit’ of our lives, …it is talking about the evidence of what’s in your heart.
And-in-regard to the connection-between works-and-salvation ~ …we don’t produce fruit in-order-to-get saved; …but we produce fruit because we have-been saved!
Look at the things that John lists of things-to-do ~ …the people asked for practical guidance when they wondered-aloud, “What must we do?” ~ …and here is what John says: Generosity (the one with two coats should share with the one who has none); Compassion (seeing another’s need and doing something about it); Contentment (don’t greedily take more from others than is right); Don’t Bully, Don’t Falsely Accuse, Don’t Intimidate…
These are practical ways to live a new-and-different kind-of-life. Remember ~ John was telling the people to live lives that gave evidence of inner-repentance. These-things are changes in attitudes and relationships and dealings-with-people; …but, they stem from a repentant-heart. Repentance is a change in the direction of one’s life ~ …and these-things certainly indicate a change!
One Christmas-tradition that nearly everyone participates-in is gift-giving. If you haven’t-already, …soon, you will be seeing wrapped-gifts appearing beneath your Christmas-tree. The gifts-we-give to each other are tangible-reminders of the Gift that got it all started! ~
“For God so-loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…”
Of-course, Jesus-himself is a Gift; …but, it’s through Him that God offers the gift-of-grace, …the gift-of-forgiveness to each of us. The Bible tells us: “For it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2.5)
Forgiveness is a gift that we receive through repentance. But, John reminds us that we can’t stop with the gift. We’ve gotta-respond. We’ve gotta-produce fruit that gives-evidence of the repentant-heart ~ …that shows that the direction of our life has-changed.
If you remember last-week’s message, …John-the-Baptist’s-daddy, Zechariah, said that the coming-Messiah (i.e., Jesus) …was not-just-coming to deliver us from our enemies; …but-also to enable us to-serve the Lord in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives! Now that …that would show a significant change in our hearts-and-lives, wouldn’t it!?!
Now, I don’t know what comes to your-mind when you hear the words, “holiness and righteousness”, …or-when you hear that the meaning-of-repentance is to ‘change directions’ in your life. My-guess is that many people have-pictures dancing through their-imaginations of their G’ma, ..or Aunt Suzy who wore her hair up-in-a-bun and preached-the-evils of jewelry-and-make-up! When I was a youngster, …the things that were preached were: …don’t go to the movies, …and teen-aged boys-and-girls weren’t to go-swimming together, …and shorts were frowned-on.
And-while, I now-appreciate the reasons-and-motivation that were behind those rules ~ …but those are not the-things that John says are the “fruit” that give-witness to the repentance that’s-taken-place in our hearts.
The fruit that God wants to see in our lives is this wonderful-and-challenging list of practical-suggestions that John gives to the people who ask: Be generous with what you have; Be compassionate toward those in need; Be content with your pay ~ and don’t cheat-and-steal to get more; Don’t falsely-accuse someone; Don’t bully those who are weaker than you; And don’t intimidate others into doing what you want them to do!
I dare-say that these are not just “fruit in keeping with repentance”, …but these are evidence of a life dedicated to serving the Lord in holiness and righteousness! Salvation is the beginning of a relationship and the beginning-of-a-journey. And-the-journey is filled with transformation ~ …where our heart, …our character, …our motives and dreams, …our actions and attitudes become the “fruit” that show we’re on a much-different-path than we-were-on before we turned our hearts-to-God in repentance!
CONCLUSION
My life changed when I became married! We had a wedding-ceremony ~ …much-like many of you had: …and a band-of-gold went on my finger; …and-then, she moved into my apartment; …and-then, the titles on our vehicles were changed to show joint-ownership; …and my checking-account (as-small as-it-was) …was combined with her account (as-small as-it-was!)
My life changed when I married. But, it would’ve been a sad-day if that were the extent of what began on-that-day! The wedding is the beginning of a journey ~ …an adventure where two-lives are woven-together and two-hearts grow deeper in love. Each-day, …each-week, …each-year provides opportunities to for me to show that the special-relationship we began almost two-decades-ago is still real, …and-alive, …and-making a difference in the choices that I make in-life.
Even-after 18-years-of-marriage, …I must “produce fruit” in keeping with my wedding day! If I do-not, I dishonor my wife; …I minimize the significance of the relationship; …I am-breaking covenant with the one I promised to love and cherish to the end-of-my-days!
Repentance results in salvation. Salvation is the beginning of a journey ~ …an adventure wherein my heart-and-life are being woven into the fabric of the Kingdom of God! Even-after 22 years, I must “produce fruit” in keeping with repentance ~ …and-whether you accepted the gift-of-salvation a long-time-ago, …or whether you’re deciding to repent-of-your-sins right-now (right-there, sittin’ in that pew), …God saves us for the purpose of enabling us to serve Him. John says, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…” If I don’t, I dishonor God, …I minimize the significance of the relationship that He wants-with-me, …I break covenant with the One who came to earth to live and die that I might-be-saved!
Authentic Christians follow Christ. Authentic Christianity is a transformed-life (and a life that is being-transformed). The Christian-life doesn’t end with repentance ~ …that’s the beginning-point! Repentance is the turning-point, …the seed that germinates in the heart-and-life of believers ~ …but, that-seed must be allowed to grow and develop and produce much-fruit. This is God’s design for His children: …that our lives would be qualitatively-different from the world ~ such-that the heart of God is reflected in our values, choices, priorities and actions!
I genuinely-hope that when you feel-the-conviction in your heart that things aren’t right-between you and God, …I genuinely-pray that you will turn to Him in repentance (for you will find He is loving and merciful) …and He will forgive you for all the stuff-you’ve-done and the mistakes-you’ve-made.
But, I-know that repentance-and-salvation are the beginning-point. We cannot sit-down at the trailhead and say, “This is as far as I’m going!” That’s not what Christ came-for. That’s not what God wants. That’s not what our lives are designed-for! We are called to produce fruit in keeping-with-repentance!...
And-so, I also genuinely-hope that once we’ve turned to Him and repented and asked-Him for mercy, …whether that turning-point in your life occurred 5 minutes-ago or five-decades-ago, …I genuinely-hope that our lives produce-fruit in keeping with repentance ~ …that our lives will be changed, …different, …altered by the burning desire to let God shape our hearts and attitudes and actions so that people see His heart beating-in-us!
