Wednesday, July 10, 2019

God is Looking for Fruitful, Faith–filled Followers



Mere Leafiness is Not “Worth a Fig” - from Matthew 21:18-22

Surprise inspections – like “pop quizzes” – can set one’s nerves on edge.  New Amy recruits come to expect their quarters to be examined at any time. But who goes unannounced into the house of a Five Star General and pulls an inspection? With no time to prepare – clean up, hide things – drop-in investigations give an accurate, if painful, assessment. If allowed, they can be a wakeup call, and an encouraging affirmation.

Today’s text may sound like Jesus is irritated at being denied breakfast, but something far more significant is happening here. He is not “hangry”, He is teaching His disciples. God rightfully expects His people to have lives filled with His love and life. There should be evidence, proving-fruit, that we are His people. And such lives will have deep faith in Him, His power.   


Matthew 21:17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”   (Matthew 21:17-22 – ESV)



Christian often tease about being “fruit inspectors”.  Jesus told us people would know us as His followers by our fruit – our lives, not just our profession. Jesus spoke of being able to tell False Prophets by their lives, and not their empty, deceptive claims: “you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:20 – ESV).

Today’s passage is a case of “or lack thereof…” The absence of the evidence of God’s work in your life is no small matter. What if Jesus, after checking what you claimed was a God-shaped life, needed to call out your hypocrisy? Would He, upon further inspection, charge you with false advertising, missing vitality, and then pronounced a curse?

In today’s short passage, we are faced with two important questions:
Do we have God-honoring lives – not just claims, but fruit
Do we trust Him – prayerfully seek His will in the World


Fruitless, Faithless? Beware!
This fig tree – with its leaves - boasted of fruit, sustenance, fulfilled-purpose
Leaves equaled figs! Yet, there was nothing; all show, no substance
Jesus called it out (see Matthew 23)
Jesus calls us out (John 15:1-11)

Jesus knew the tree was barren (Mark 11:13), just as He already knows the spiritual state of our lives (Psalm 105; 139). Our big claims cannot hide barrenness. His cursing of the fruitless fig tree was an acted out parable for His disciples.  Empty confessions of vitality without actual lives that honor God and others are unacceptable.


Got Fruit?  God’s character and purposes lived out in and through you.
The tangible, practical impact of love for and obedience to God (cf. 13:1-24).

We can have loads of religious leaves, but if we do not have fruit, we are not fulfilling our God-given purpose (consult Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 5:13-16; 7:15-20)
John the Baptist rebuked, exhorted the Pharisees and Sadducees:
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8 - NIV – cf. Luke 3:8)
  

Got Faith? Mark separates these two episodes (see Mark 11:12-14, 20-24). This teaching on faith can seem an odd take-away from Jesus cursing the fruitless tree, but it is a natural, second lesson from this powerful encounter:

From The Message:  “But Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don’t doubt God, you’ll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you’ll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God.”  (21:21, 22)

 Earlier, Jesus rebuked His weak in faith Disciples: "You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." (17:17 -  NIV)

Among the many sobering verses in Scripture, add Luke 18:8:
“I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"  (NIV)


Closing Applications, Additional Study

Get Fruit!
What evidence is present in your life that you are not an “all leaf, no figs” disciple?  Consider Paul’s instruction to young pastor Titus: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”  (Titus 1:15, 16- ESV)

Spiritual Heritage is not enough! God wants congruence in our lives – walking the talk! See James 1:19-22; Matthew 7:21-29. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”  (Matthew 3:8 - NIV)

Ø  Note the wildly different fruits and their sources in Galatians 5:16-26

Ø  What does Jesus say our part is in being fruitful (see John 15:1-11)?

Ø  What is the difference between the two lives, trees portrayed in Psalm 1?

Ø  What should we be careful to learn from John the Baptist’s stinging rebuke of Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 3:7-10?


Get Faith!
In the midst of faith-testing trials, James wrote:  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”   (James 1:5-8 - ESV)



Giving Jesus the last word: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:4, 5 - ESV)


A Discipleship tool of Christ Community Fellowship
Kerry S. Doyal – Pastor
July 7, 2019