"Where's The Fruit?"

There was a commercial on television several years ago. An elderly woman approaches the counter of a Burger restaurant and orders a burger. When the burger was delivered to her, she proceeded to open the buns and look inside. As she looked inside she coined a phrase that became world widely famous; “Where’s the beef?” We need to ask ourselves the question, what caused this lady to ask that question. The answer lies in her expectations. She was expecting there to be a certain amount of beef on the buns and when she wasn’t satisfied with the service she proceeded to ask a quite normal question “Where is it?” God has some expectations of us as Christians and it is important that when He comes looking that we produce fruit. There are times in our lives when we need to bear fruit.

Mark 11:1-7 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ’Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ’The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’" 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.

One time we need to show fruit is when Jesus asks something of us. Jesus asked His disciples to go into the town and get a colt. The disciples had no guarantee that it would happen just as Jesus said, but they went obediently and did as He said. This is the kind of faith that we need to have as Christians today - the kind of faith that doesn’t ask questions but does God’s will trusting that He knows best.

Have you ever asked someone to do something for you and it didn’t get done? I can remember once when I was younger, my mother had gone away for a while. While she was gone, as you would expect in a house full of men, the house got a bit messy. We liked to have the house looking good for when she returned so we would split up the chores and each do something to get it ready. I straightened up the living room, and kitchen, and as I was going out the door, I asked my brother to wash the dishes before my mother got back, and he agreed. So I went away with the confidence that they would be clean for my mothers arrival. When I came back, my mother was there and so were the dirty dishes. It wasn’t the end of the world, but I would have really liked to have had that little bit done so everything would have been perfect. I felt like my brother had let me down. It is so important that we as Christians don’t let the Lord down when He asks us to do something.

The Lord asks us to preach the gospel into all nations - including our neighbors (Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost) The Lord asks us to be faithful disciples (John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.)

Another time that we need to bear fruit, is when God is expecting something from us:

Mark 11:12-19 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "’My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it ’a den of robbers.’" 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, they went out of the city.