Quote from Forum Archives on February 17, 2003, 11:43 am

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

THIS FRUIT IS ALWAYS IN SEASON
February 16, 2003

Text: Luke 3:7-18

The manager of a minor league baseball team was tired of watching his
center fielder play poorly, so he grabbed a glove and headed for the
outfield to show his player how it should be done. The first ball hit his
way took a bad hop and hit the manager in the mouth. Next came a high fly
ball that he lost in the son - only to find it when it smacked him on his
forehead. Later a hard line drive missed his glove and hit him in the
face. That was enough. Furious, the manager grabbed his poor outfielder
by the uniform and shouted, “You idiot! You’ve got center field so messed
up, even I can’t do a thing with it!” (Don McCullogh, Discipleship
Journal, told by J. David Branon, “Excuses, Excuses, Excuses,” Our Daily
Bread, February 28, 1992)

Isn’t that story typical of our human tendency to make excuses? Turn to
Genesis 3:11-12 with me. We humans have had a lot of practice making
excuses. After God confronted Adam and Eve following their disobedience,
Adam stammered out, “The woman you put here with me - she gave me some
fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Pretty slick, Adam. His excuses tried
to pass the buck to two others: his poor wife and God Himself! “Then the
Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’” We might say
that Eve was a little more honest. “The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived
me, and I ate.’” Nevertheless, Eve, too, tried to pass the buck.

What didn’t happen in this tragic turn of events is God letting any of
the involved parties off the hook. The serpent, Eve, and Adam all felt
the impact of God’s judgment. Adam and Eve found out that excuses don’t
hide guilt. When we sin, or even make innocent mistakes, we are better
off to face up to our failures than to try to make up excuses.

Fast forward now several hundred centuries to the Jordan River. Here
stands a rather wild-looking man who spends a lot of time in the
wilderness. He doesn’t mince any words with anyone; in fact, his rebuke
of and confrontation with Herod the tetrarch eventually gets him killed.
But in Luke 3:7-9, John shouts, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And
do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I
tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
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.”

I don’t know exactly how much time passed between God’s confrontation
with Adam and Eve and John’s confrontation with the people coming to be
baptized, but we do know it was thousands of years. Yet don’t we detect a
lot of similarity here? Doesn’t John indicate that there is still a lot
of excuse making going on? “Hey, John, I don’t need you or anybody else
telling me how to live. I’m a child of Abraham. That makes me special
with God. So what if I’ve mistreated an orphan or two; I’m a child of
Abraham. So what if I’ve skimmed a little off the top; I’m a child of
Abraham. So what if I’ve evicted that poor old widow lady; I’m a child of
Abraham. And that makes me special with God.”

We can’t miss John’s response. “For I tell you that out of these stones
God can raise up children for Abraham.” In other words, calling Abraham
your father, a phrase referring to God’s chosen people, carries no weight
when God shows up and starts asking “What is this you have done?” Child
of Abraham? Humph! God can raise up children of Abraham from rocks! Talk
about being put in your place. Then John says, “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.” Producing fruit in keeping with
repentance is what John is talking about here. When we’re serious about
repentance, this is fruit that is always in season.

Like Adam and Eve, we’re always looking for ways to avoid responsibility
for our actions. Sometimes, I think that we overcomplicate our
relationship with God by agonizing over what His will might be when faced
with various choices, or by agonizing over some difficult passage of
Scripture. Mind you, it is good to seek God’s will for our life, and it
is good to study Scripture. But I know of some people who have allowed
such issues to immobilize them and complicate their relationship with
God. Turn to Matthew 11:28-30. I may not know a lot of things about God,
or even some areas of His will, but I do know that He wants me to be
honest with Him. Jesus teaches, “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Although Jesus does
not speak explicitly in these verses about confession, repentance, and
forgiveness, he says this following his warnings given against
unrepentant cities. Implicit in his teaching about lifting our burdens is
our attitude before the Lord. We are to be honest and bear the fruit of
repentance.

Speaking more bluntly, John taught, “Produce fruit in keeping with
repentance.” John made the timeless observation to the religious
pretenders that they couldn’t even fool men and women with false piety;
how could they think they could fool God? We haven’t changed much over
another couple of millennium, though. Like John observed in his day,
repentance isn’t fashionable in our day. Many want the blessing of having
sins forgiven without turning from their sins. But faith in Christ
involves a change of mind about our sins and a renunciation of them.
Faith and repentance cannot be separated. For example, turn to Matthew
7:19. The Bible never teaches such a separation. Jesus proclaims, “Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus by their fruit you will recognize them. 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.” Now there’s some of those verses we
could get all hung up on: “Well, what is God’s will? Is Jesus teaching us
works-righteousness?” Let’s just accept it for what it is! God wants our
honesty. If we are going to call upon Him and ask forgiveness, then let
us live obediently.

Much so-called repentance is little more than telling God we will change
if He gets us out of some tight spot. But such shallowness comes to light
when the pressure is removed. Two shipwrecked sailors had been drifting
on a raft for days. In desperation, one began to pray, “God, I know I
haven’t lived a good life. I’ve lied and cheated and done many things I
am ashamed of. But if you save me, I promise I’ll…” “Hold it!”
interrupted his shipmate. “Don’t say another word! I just spotted land!”
(Dennis J. De Haan, “Follow-Through,” Our Daily Bread, February 12, 1992)

In contrast to such a false, deceitful attitude, the Bible teaches
honesty. Whether taught in the Old or New Testament, whether taught by
Jesus or Peter or Paul or John the Baptist or any other disciple, we are
to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” At least some in the crowd
were paying attention because they asked, “What should we do then?” John
offered some examples.

“The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one
with food should do the same.” To some tax collectors coming for baptism,
John taught, “Don’t collect more than you are required to.” And to some
soldiers, John said, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely
- be content with your pay.” Is this meant to be a literal, comprehensive
list of “fruit in keeping with repentance?” No, they are some examples
that John was able to provide to some specific circumstances. The overall
theme remains: be honest. Be honest with other men and women, and be
honest with God. Let the fruit of repentance always be in season.

A few years before John Newton died, a friend was having breakfast with
him. Newton is the author of the poem “Amazing Grace.” It was their
custom to read the Bible after their meal. Because of eyesight problems,
the friend would read, and Newton would comment on the passage. That
morning, 1 Corinthians 15:10 was read. “But by the grace of God I am what
I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder
than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Newton remained silent for several minutes, then declared, “I am not what
I ought to be. How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to
be, although I abhor that which is evil and would cleave to what is good.
I am not what I hope to be, but soon I shall put off mortality, and with
it all sin… Though I am not what I ought to be, I can truly say I am not
what I once was; a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily join with the
apostle and acknowledge that by the grace of God I am what I am!”

John Newton acknowledges what every Christian can acknowledge. Because of
God’s mercy, we are spared much bad that we deserve and are given much
good that we do not deserve. Every good thing comes from His hand. (Paul
R. Van Gorder, “All of Grace,” Our Daily Bread, February 15, 1992)

In spite of John’s apparently blunt and confrontational style of
teaching, this portion of Scripture concludes, “And with many other words
John exhorted the people and preached good news to them.” What makes all
this “good news?” It is “good news” because it demonstrates that God is
interested in our relationship with Him. He is honest with us; He expects
us to be honest with Him. It demonstrates that God loves us so much that
He gives us the opportunity to repent and receive His promised
forgiveness. It demonstrates that we can love God in return by being
obedient and producing “fruit in keeping with repentance.”

It is a fact that we are sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, the first
parents. It is also observable fact that we can be as deceptive and
dishonest as they were. “It was the woman’s fault, God. And besides, You
created her…” “It was the serpent’s fault, God. It deceived me.” What
would have happened if, instead of excuses, Adam and Eve had thrown
themselves in confession before God, asking forgiveness and showing
repentance? Well, we cannot know how events might have been different had
they done that. But, amazingly, we can experience it for ourselves
because we need not be sons and daughters of only Adam and Eve. We can
become sons and daughters of the Lord. When we believe that Jesus was
condemned for our sins, was crucified, buried, and resurrected in victory
over sin and death, then we are made children of God. We are born again
into His likeness. If this is your confession this morning, you are
invited to share with the assembly here so that we may all rejoice. And
for all who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, “Produce fruit
in keeping with repentance.” Make it a fruit that is always in season.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

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