Bearing Much Fruit

In contrasting the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit, there are variations of an illustration I heard in a sermon yesterday I have also heard by others over the years.  It goes something like this:  "You don't walk by an apple tree and hear it straining to pop out apples by effort.  The fruit of the Spirit is something produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within you."  I can understand why this analogy is provided to explain how we are enabled to be spiritually fruitful because the Holy Spirit indwells and enables us to do so.  But this example can be potentially misleading because it is narrowly focused on a complex, multi-faceted relationship believers share with God.  What it can suggest is, "Trees bear fruit naturally, and Christians produce fruit supernaturally without any effort or a struggle at all.  It will just happen."  And this is plain wrong.

In the scripture believers are compared to trees and branches of the Vine who is Christ, but we are not trees comprised of roots, bark, wood, and leaves.  There are critical differences between a tree planted by rivers of water and a human being who lives in a body of flesh with a sin nature,  has a mind and will of his own, and desires to follow Jesus faithfully.  It is true apple trees do not groan to expend effort as flowers bud in season, nor when the small apples develop into delicious, edible fruit we enjoy.  Trees do groan and creak under the weight of their heavy boughs in strong wind and rain, however, and sometimes limbs break.  I have never heard the analogy carried this far.  It is one thing to bear fruit, and another thing to carry it.

Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in contrast to the sinful works of the flesh in Galatians 5:22-23:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  Apart from this divinely produced fruit, there are at least two other ways people are connected with fruit in scripture:  the fruit of the lips, and the fruit of the womb.  There is personal sacrifice connected with this fruitfulness.  Hebrews 13:15-16 says, "Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. ¹⁶ But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."  It is wise to think before we speak, to be considerate and edify others with gracious words.  This does not happen automatically but requires intentional effort to these ends.  It may be at times due to the work of the Holy Spirit within us we are kind and gentle without realising it because God is faithful to sanctify us.  But I expect there are far more times when we must intentionally respond to conviction with repentance, take wicked thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, hold our tongues, or make an effort thank and praise God even when it hurts.

When it comes to the fruit of the womb the entire process is filled with intention:  conceiving, carrying, bearing, and caring for a baby is filled with personal sacrifices and effort.  Plum trees produce plums, and human beings bear human babies that require constant care.  Before Christ we were dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually impotent to produce anything pleasing to God.  We were like barren Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, or Elizabeth, incapable to conceive spiritual fruit which can only come from God.  God graciously intervened in the lives of these women and caused them to fall pregnant by natural means and give birth to sons.  It was God's work, yet they were personally involved in dealing with carrying a baby (or two!), enduring a painful natural labour, and then rising at all hours to feed, change, and care for their newborns.  This to me is a much better representation of the spiritual fruitfulness which comes from God and our subservient role to Him.  The Holy Spirit causes us to be fruitful and by God's grace we are enabled to cooperate in the process.

I do not believe for a moment as Jesus walked on this earth the fruit of the Spirit was produced in His life without effort.  Before He demonstrated love to all mankind by dying on the cross for our sins, He agonised in prayer and sweat blood.  He was not an immovable oak but the Son of God clothed in sweating human flesh with feelings, thoughts, and temptations.  Paul did not assure the Galatians this fruit would just happen because they were born again but said in Galatians 5:22-26:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."  The fruit of the Spirit to be evident in a life which has been crucified with Christ.  Forget straining to pop out apples:  nothing less than crucifixion is required!  Jesus said if anyone wants to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.  Following Jesus isn't something we only choose to do once and then are supernaturally carried on a litter.  Walking means effort, decisions, and endurance.

Jesus was crucified on Calvary and died so we might live and He through us (Galatians 2:20).  See the exhortations to action here:  walk in the Spirit, do not become conceited, cease provoking or envying one another.  There are things we are called to labour to do and sinful things we intentionally cease doing.  No effort of the flesh can enable us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, yet having been born again by the indwelling Holy Spirit we labour, putting our hands to the plough alongside Jesus Christ our Saviour without looking back.  Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:4-5, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

Burning Questions For God

Over the years I have heard people say something to the effect of, "When I get to heaven I have some questions to ask God"--almost to challenge God to explain Himself.  Isn't it ironic to be bold or even proud over our own ignorance?  Praise the LORD He is pleased to hear our prayers and answer questions we may have right now, but let's not for a moment feel He is under any obligation to respond to our requests.  Are not His ways higher than ours?  As a passage in the book of Joshua reveals, because of our severely limited perspective and understanding we can ask the wrong questions.

Joshua had been called by God to be strong and courageous as He obediently led the children of Israel over Jordan and into the promised land.  When Joshua approached the stronghold of Jericho he was met by an unexpected and armed "man" in Joshua 5:13-15:  "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" ¹⁴ So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" ¹⁵ Then the Commander of the LORD'S army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so."

Upon seeing this armed Man Joshua boldly asked if he was for Israel or their adversaries.  The Man responded with "No."  Initially this seems an improper response, but the reality was Joshua was asking the wrong questions because he imagined he was in command.  The Man Joshua questioned was revealed to be the Commander of the LORD's army and infinitely outranked him.  Realising his question was invalid because of the identity of this divine Man who received worship, the One whose presence made the ground they stood upon holy, Joshua fell on his face before Him "...whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2)  Joshua realised he was face to face with the living God in human form and his question completely changed:  "What does my Lord say to His servant?"  Instead of demanding an answer to a challenge, Joshua begged his LORD to choose the subject of conversation and waited for God to speak.

With a personal revelation of God Joshua's question drastically changed.  Currently the best we can do is ask questions from an imperfect, incomplete understanding of God and His plans.  It therefore follows our questions are focused on the wrong things.  The answers to countless questions men wrestle with are provided in scripture, and God has also invited us to ask Him for wisdom when we lack it.  During our earthly pilgrimage there will always be unknowns because of our limited minds and skewed perspectives, but faith in the living God comfortably fills these gaps with peace and rest.  If you have a burning question for God ask Him and wait patiently for His answer.  I imagine many of our burning questions will turn to fine ash in light of God's eternal glory.  Like Joshua's case you may not receive a direct answer to your particular question because it isn't the right question to ask.  Many times scripture recorded people who asked questions of Jesus and He answered with a question that seemed unrelated to the original statement because He was addressing the hearts of His hearers instead of the words used to camouflage them.

"What does my LORD say to His servant?" is a fitting request to our God who is not obligated to speak but is pleased to address all who humbly worship Him in spirit and truth.

The Compassionate Christ

In the face of trials and turmoil, we are prone to ask why a good God allows such things.  I am struck by the grim reality that if we could help it our aim would be to eliminate all need for God completely.  There is great appeal to us to live in a world without hunger or thirst, a world devoid of natural disasters like earthquakes which cause buildings to collapse or bushfires that consume property and wildlife.  We would gladly embrace a society free of conflict and angry rhetoric, a place where all people are loved and accepted with respect.  The utopia longed for by many has not been realised despite education, awareness, or effort.  Our hearts ache for those who have suffered tragic loss and wonder over the disparity between rich and poor.  When it comes to morality one person may grieve over what others celebrate.  This world is not what anyone wants it to be.

One thing I have been considering is how the miraculous deeds done by God in scripture have the common threads of His goodness and the great need of people.  A miracle is not required when a rich man needs to pay his bills, but when Jesus and Peter needed to pay the temple tax they did not have the money.  Jesus directed Peter to go to the sea, throw in a hook, and look in the mouth of the first fish he caught:  the money needed for the tax would be miraculously found.  A man with barns full of food does not need a miracle to eat, but the children of Israel in the wilderness didn't have sufficient bread or meat.  So God caused manna to appear and quail to flutter into the camp daily for 40 years so they would eat and be satisfied.  Think about it!  Can you think of one occasion when God did the miraculous when there was no need?  We are so naturally ungrateful and without trust in God we would prefer there be no need for Him who loves us and has freely given us life.  The way we view circumstances may suggest we would rather not have to trust God if we could help it.

Consider what Jesus did in the city of Nain in Luke 7:11-15:  "Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. ¹² And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." ¹⁴ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." ¹⁵ So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother."  As Jesus arrived at the city, they were met by a funeral procession.  Luke tells us it was a dead man who was the only son of his mother who was a widow.  There was a woman who had suffered the loss of a husband and also the death of her son.  She wept as she walked, and Jesus had compassion on her.

This is what gets me:  some people would fault Jesus for having the power to prevent the death of the young man and not saving him before death--like Mary the sister of Lazarus.  But God had a plan in allowing Lazarus to die so through his resurrection after four days would prove Jesus is the Messiah and have life through faith in Him.  People who blame God as an evildoer for the circumstances He allows do not give Him the credit for the kindness He has already shown and all the good things He has done.  I do not hear anyone who has been born again complaining Jesus laid down His life on Calvary for sinners!  The passage does not tell us the widow or the townsfolk even had heard of Jesus.  Jesus drew near to the mourning woman and said to her, "Do not weep" or "Stop crying."  Does that sound insensitive to you?  We know it was not insensitive because of what He did next.  Jesus touched the coffin and said to the dead man being carried outside the city, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  And he did!  Jesus then presented the man alive to his mother, turning tears of sorrow to tears of joy.

If we were in Nain and had power to prevent this man's death, we would have made all effort to save him and it would have been right to do so.  But Jesus has the capacity to do what we cannot:  He can redeem a tragedy which has already occurred and make the result of His miraculous intervention better than if it never had happened!  God makes the trial and His redemptive purposes preferable to Him avoiding them.  This woman and her son both would have ultimately went the way of the earth in death, but through what Jesus did they may have believed on Him and been granted eternal life!  God has the ability to take a series of natural circumstances men would deem tragedies and turn them around for good.  When I say "for good" I mean in both the divine and eternal sense as Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  Unless God had intervened, we would all be as that dead man, sorrowing and without hope like the widow.  But God has shown compassion on us and drew near at our time of need and miraculously opened our eyes to see He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Sifted and Saved

"For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground."

Amos 9:9

The writer of Hebrews reminded believers in chapter 12 not to despise the chastening of the LORD because this shows He is treating us as beloved children.  The children of Israel who entered into a covenant with God were no exception.  Amos revealed to the northern kingdom of Israel judgment was coming for the sins of the nation, but God would preserve those who repented and sought Him.  Even after being taken captive by Assyria and Babylon God would sift the house of Israel from wherever they were scattered to gather them again:  not the smallest grain would be lost.

Sifting isn't a comfortable process.  Grain, chaff, dirt, and other debris were tossed together to separate the grain from all the undesirable material.  C.H. Spurgeon made a great observation concerning the sifting God does with His people to separate them from what is undesirable to Him to sanctify us unto Himself:  "I think I see you, poor believer, tossed about like that wheat, up and down, right and left, in the sieve, and in the air, never resting. Perhaps it is suggested to you, ‘God is very angry with me.’ No, the farmer is not angry with his wheat when he casts it up and down in the sieve, and neither is God angry with you; this you shall see one day when the light shall show that love ruled in all your griefs.”  Times of hardship and upheaval does not mean God is against you, for He loves those who trust Him.  Like the children of Israel sin always has negative consequences for us, but having repented in submission to Jesus we find His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

What confidence we can have God will not leave, forsake, or forget us!  He has sifted His people from among Israel and Gentile nations so we might be one Body with Jesus Christ as our Head.  Romans 10:12-13 says, "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³  For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."  We are like the smallest grain He refuses to waste because God treasures us according to the riches of His grace because we have obtained righteousness by faith in Christ.  Whilst the Amos passage can be applied to the life of believers, Israel still has a special place in God's plans and purposes (see Romans 9-10).  The church has not supplanted Israel whom God compares in many places to His betrothed.   Praise the LORD for His goodness to all who trust in Him!