The ¡§Fruit of Repentance¡¨
Matthew 3:1-12
January 11, 2004
Introduction
What do you think of when you hear the word ¡§repent?¡¨
Two images come to my mind right away. The first is the street preacher with a Bible as big as your Aunt Martha¡¦s Buick, screaming at people to repent to escape the coming judgment.
The second is the guy in robes and sandals, either holding or wearing a sign that says, ¡§Repent, for the end is near!¡¨
For many people, myself included, repentance has for a long time carried a negative connotation, mainly because of images like I have just described.
But actually, repentance is not the big scary thing it has been made out to be. This morning I want us to look at what it means to repent, and also to look at how repentance should impact our lives.
But in doing that, I want us to first read our passage for today, which is Matthew 3:1-12. If you¡¦re using the Bibles in the seats, this is found on page 682.
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
"A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ "
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Next week we may take a closer look at John¡¦s message, but today I want to bring out four lessons and an application that will help us look at repentance as more than just a word in the Bible, but something we can make a part of our lives in a positive manner.
The first lesson we learn from this passage is that¡K
1. John was not ¡§just¡¨ a baptist!
He was actually a Lutheran. Just kidding! I say that sometimes just to get the goat of my Baptist brothers and sisters! Sometimes I¡¦ll call him John the Baptizer just to see if they notice. Hee Hee¡K
John¡¦s job was more than just getting people wet. Yes, people came to him for baptism, but it was in response to his message.
He was a prophet, proclaiming the coming of the message of the kingdom of heaven.
And as with the other prophets, he made friends and he made enemies with his message. His words cut to the very spirit of the people who heard him. And they could choose to believe and respond, or they could choose to not believe, and ignore the message.
Hmmm. That¡¦s kinda the choice for those who hear the message of Christ as well. Go figure.
I can almost imagine the Pharisees and Sadducees with their puffed-up attitudes thinking, ¡§Who does this guy think He is, anyway? Here we are, the spiritual and religious muckity-mucks, full of the respect of the people, and obviously pleasing to God; and this guy comes around, telling us we need to repent! The nerve. And he¡¦s not even wearing a clerical robe!¡¨
The methodology of John was his proclaiming of the good news and the baptizing of those who came with repentant hearts.
2. John had a timeless message: repent!
Verse 2 says that John went about preaching:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Actually there were two parts of the message: ¡§repent,¡¨ and, ¡§the Messiah is coming.¡¨
And as I mentioned, I hope to dissect his message a bit more next week, but today let¡¦s focus on the first part ¡V repent.
It¡¦s not just saying, ¡§I¡¦m sorry.¡¨
How many of you were children at one time? Okay, that should be everyone here¡K
When you slugged your little sister, brother, cousin, friend, or whatever, they¡¦d go bawling to some grown-up, right?
And what did that grown up do? They¡¦d come get you (if they could find you), bring you back together with the poor little victim and then what?
They¡¦d tell you to say, ¡§I¡¦m sorry.¡¨ Right? So you¡¦d mumble, ¡§sorry.¡¨ Then they¡¦d say, ¡§Say it like you mean it.¡¨
Let me ask you a question. How many of you really meant it, even though you made it sound like you did?
You didn¡¦t mean it. You thought the little bugger was a low-down dirty skunk before, and now you think he¡¦s even worse for ratting on you.
To ¡§repent¡¨ literally means to change your mind or perspective on something. It goes deeper than that, but that¡¦s the most basic idea, and serves the purpose this morning.
In the case of our repentance before God, we basically say, ¡§I used to think this way about sin, and now I think this way about it. But it¡¦s not simply a mind-thing.
Remember Romans 12:2?
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I love how the New Living Translation puts the first part of this verse:
Don¡¦t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
My point here is that change starts in the mind. If we think that certain sins are okay, then we¡¦ll continue to commit them. If we think they¡¦re not, we¡¦ll discontinue.
If we think it¡¦s not important to develop an authentic relationship with God, then we won¡¦t. We will continue to be a shallow Christian.
If we think that maybe God is right concerning salvation through Jesus, then we will respond to it.
Repentance starts in the mind, but that¡¦s not where it ends, as we can see in the third lesson we learn from the message of John the Baptist.
3. Our repentance should bear ¡§fruit.¡¨
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
If your outlook on sin has been altered by an encounter with God and His word, it should show.
How should it show? Let¡¦s look at some ¡§fruits¡¨ of repentance:
First¡K
„Y Your attitude toward God will be altered.
This is because in repenting, we are humbled, and much more open to the idea that God is in control, and deservedly so.
And not only that, we are also open to the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, which makes it easier to submit to God for the long-term.
If you are bitter toward God, maybe because you think being a Christian is more of an inconvenience than a joy, you need to repent of that attitude, and watch what God does with it.
A correct attitude toward God affects all the next areas we¡¦re going to look at. Here¡¦s a second fruit of repentance:
„Y Your relationships with others will be altered.
You will be less likely to say or do things that hurt others, and more likely to look to the needs of others before your own.
You will be quicker to seek forgiveness and to offer it as well, and slower to hold a grudge. You¡¦ll be quicker to listen and slower to speak, and you¡¦ll be quicker to stop rumors you hear, whether you like the person or not.
You will be able to live out the Scriptures that tell us how as the Body of Christ, we weep when another part of the Body weeps, and rejoice when another part of the Body rejoices.
Your relationships, both close and social will feel the impact of a repentant heart.
A third fruit of repentance is that¡K
„Y Your ethics will be altered.
You want to make a splash for Christ in the workplace? Here¡¦s a way to do it.
Refuse to take advantage of legal, yet unethical practices at work or in your business.
Be honest with your taxes and expenses. Be honest with your customers and suppliers.
Take Biblical stands on social issues, and vote along biblical principles instead of with your pocketbook.
Drive like you actually believe speed limits are a good thing instead of a purposeful effort by the government to make your life miserable.
I think you get the idea here! A fourth fruit of repentance is that¡K
„Y Your speech will be altered.
The Bible talks over and over about how we use our tongues.
Does your speech reflect biblical values? And I¡¦m not even talking about having a foul mouth, although obviously that should change as well.
But I¡¦m talking mainly about other types of speech. Slander, accusation, lies, etc.
Can anyone show me a place in Scripture where we are given the option to use our tongues to hurt others? I don¡¦t think so.
I touched on rumor a bit ago, but let me hit on it again, because rumor is the root cause of much dissension in the Christian church today.
Rumor has no place in the life of the Christian. It is harmful, divisive, and bottom-line sinful.
If you hear a rumor, you have some options: you can find enjoyment in it, gleefully passing it on to another without regard to the person or persons the rumor is about.
Or you can pass it along in the form of a ¡§prayer request,¡¨ pretending to be actually concerned about it, even if it¡¦s none of your business, which is the case with 99.999% of all rumors.
Or you can take the high road, and refuse to even let the person tell you the rumor. Stop it in its tracks, challenging the person to actually check out the facts and to stop the sinful practice of rumors.
Jesus said that the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. If your speech is characterized by rumors and dissension, you have a sin problem!
Can you tell I¡¦m not real big on people who call themselves Christians but spread rumors? It¡¦s a big issue, folks, bigger than we want to admit!
The Bible says we are to only say those things that are beneficial for those who hear it. Boy, could the church of Jesus Christ use more people who actually believe and practice that.
If you have a repentant spirit, your speech will be altered. Lastly¡K
„Y Your behavior will be altered.
This kind of goes without saying, but I¡¦ll say it anyway!
If you call yourself a follower of Christ, a person who has repented and given his or her life to Christ, it needs to show in our behavior.
A lot of that is reflected in the first things we looked in this section, but I¡¦m sure you can think of others.
Your behavior will take on the Romans 12:2 pattern rather than the world¡¦s.
Well, John had something else to say about repentance, and it¡¦s this:
4. Failure to repent risks the wrath of God.
Look back again at verses 9-10:
9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Nowadays we can say, ¡§Hey, buddy! I¡¦m a Christian. Been goin¡¦ to church my whole life, got myself saved, baptized, sanctified, and waitin¡¦ to be glorified. I¡¦m alright.¡¨
Are you sure? The Pharisees thought they were sure because of their piety, and self-righteousness.
If your hope for heaven rests in your church attendance, or in how many Bible verses you can quote, or how long you¡¦ve been fighting to keep the Church ¡§pure¡¨ of infecting influences, you have a big surprise coming.
The self-righteousness of the Pharisees gained them only that: self-righteousness. It did not gain them righteousness from God. And it will not gain it for you.
The Pharisees were considered the righteous ones of that day. Yet John the Baptist, speaking for God, called them a brood of vipers. Jesus called them that and worse!
Why? Because they gave the appearance of righteousness, but were really no better than anyone else for all their show.
¡§The proof is in the pudding,¡¨ as they say.
John says that if your life is not showing the fruit of repentance, then you have not repented, at least not entirely. Some would say that if you have not repented entirely, you have not repented at all. Not sure I¡¦d go that far, but you get the idea.
The bottom-line message of this lesson is that God¡¦s got something to say about the lack of repentance, even from the pious.
5. So how do I repent?
Let me give you three guidelines for repentance:
- Decide God¡¦s right.
About everything. Especially about you.
You agree with God that what you¡¦re doing is sin, and that it¡¦s wrong. No more excuses, no more trying to explain it away with things like, ¡§but everyone¡¦s doing it,¡¨ or, ¡§but God, I won¡¦t be popular if I quit doing this or that, or if I do this or that.¡¨
You simply say, ¡§Okay, God, You¡¦re right, and I¡¦m tired of trying to rationalize it.¡¨
If it¡¦s sin, it¡¦s sin. It might be an act, or it might be an attitude that¡¦s divisive. It might be a spirit of unforgiveness toward another person.
If you¡¦ve got the guts to allow the Holy Spirit to show you what¡¦s going on, then you have made a huge step.
The second guideline for repentance is this:
- Ask for God¡¦s forgiveness.
And when you can agree with God that He¡¦s right, then you can ask His forgiveness, trusting Him to not only forgive, but as 1 John 1 says, to purify us from all unrighteousness.
Acknowledge your need of His forgiveness, and then rejoice in it. A sin confessed is a sin forgiven. And it¡¦s a sin forgotten. Boy, if that¡¦s not good news, I don¡¦t know what is!
The last guideline I want to share is this:
- Resolve to live a life that bears the fruit of repentance.
Here¡¦s where the rubber meets the road. Here¡¦s where we go beyond lip-service to real-life application that actually has an impact on who we are and how we live.
Maybe God¡¦s convicting you about something you need to repent about. It could be something you¡¦ve done. Or it could be about something you haven¡¦t done.
Whatever. Decide right now that you will no longer stand in the way of doing what you know God wants you to do about it.
And make it stick. Ask God to give you a new strength, a fresh filling of His Spirit to renew your mind and your life to live for Him, and enjoy all His benefits.
Whaddya say?
You¡¦ll be relieved to know that there are only two types of people who need to repent:
The first type are those who have never given themselves over to God through Jesus.
When we come to Christ, we are made into a new person, transformed into a new creation, a child of God.
This allows for the transformation of our minds and perspectives on other things. And over time God reveals other things we need to turn over to Him in repentance.
The second type of people who need to repent are those who have decided to follow Christ, but still have areas in need of surrender to God.
Believe it or not, repentance is not a one-time thing we did when we came to Christ for salvation. There are times we think, say, or do something that is wrong or sinful, and we need to repent of it.
Look back at the list we made when we talked about the ¡§fruit¡¨ of repentance. Do these areas in your life reflect a repentant heart?
If not, then you have some serious business to do with God, and I wouldn¡¦t put it off. The longer you wait, the longer you deprive yourself of the blessings of the full life Christ offers to all who will follow Him wholeheartedly.
If you¡¦re holding something back, you¡¦re not following Him wholeheartedly. And I would be so bold to say that one of the biggest barriers to more Christians finding joy in their lives is the issue of letting go of something.
In my own life, I will sometimes let negative memories grip me, and I¡¦ll nurse a grudge, particularly about actions related to my high school years.
And when the Holy Spirit reminds me of this, I have to say, ¡§You¡¦re right, Lord; You always are. I repent of this. Please change my mind and my heart about this. Don¡¦t allow me to let it affect me any further.¡¨
Conclusion
How about you? Is there something God is telling you that you need to repent of?
Is there a sin that¡¦s in the way of your fellowship with God or other people?
Is there a grudge you¡¦re carrying? God says that if there is, you¡¦re not even supposed to take communion. So you need to make that right.
Can I be frank with you about something? Not like I¡¦ve worried about that too much since I started here, but here goes.
I don¡¦t like messages like these. Now before you start shouting amen, let me explain.
One of the hardest parts of being a pastor is challenging people to come out of their existing patterns and to take on a new mindset regarding something, particularly in regard to their own attitudes and actions.
And when doing these messages, I am forced to examine my own heart as well, and I¡¦m glad for a God who not only commands this, but is right there waiting for us when we do, ready to forgive, cleanse, and renew our spirits.
So let me just end this by not so much challenging you as by inviting you to join me in the water.
Come to Christ, confessing your sins, repenting of them, and allowing God to work His wonderful work in you as we all seek to be people who do more than say we love God, but people who actually reflect a love for Him in our words and attitudes.
Let¡¦s pray.
