Only in Thee

Bearing Good Fruit

Jesus said in Luke 6:43, "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."

During the course of his preaching, John the Baptist rebuked the multitudes that came to be baptized by him, using this same imagery.

Luke 3:8-9 - Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John basically stated that the Israelites could not rely on their heritage for salvation.  Yes, their lineage reached back to Abraham and the Israelite nation was the chosen people of God, but that was not enough to please God.  John told them that they must "bear the fruits worthy of repentance", in other words, change their ways and live for God.  Some action was required on their part.

This section of verses reminds me of James' writing concerning faith and works.

James 2:14-17 - What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Many are quick to point out that it is not works that save us, but the grace of God.  While this is true, we cannot deny that, as Christians, there is a call for action on our part.  We must not neglect Christian duties.  We must strive to be active lest our faith wither as a dying tree.

Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).  In submitting ourselves to God's will, we become Christians; We take on the work of Christ.  This work becomes easier with time as we strive to become more Christ-like.  Before long, I think we begin bearing that "good fruit" as naturally as a tree develops.

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.

Do we have the love for our neighbor that our Lord commanded?

Do we abide in peace through a longsuffering attitude of kindness, goodness, and gentleness?

Do we exhibit self-control in all that we do?

Do we do all of the above faithfully?

Jesus Himself tells us that our actions define us.

Luke 6:43-44 -  For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

What kind of fruit are you bearing?

The Bystander Effect

Back in the college days I took just a few classes in psychology, but they left a lingering impression.  While many may regard psychology to be a pseudo-science at best, I found the field to be very interesting.  I particularly enjoyed learning of the various theories on why people behave the way that they do.

It was through these studies that I first heard about something called the “Bystander Effect”, which has haunted me ever since.

Social psychologists regularly perform experiments to learn more about human behavior.  One such experiment involved a staged scene in which a male actor grabbed a young girl actor and ran away with her as she kicked and screamed in front of a crowd of people.  Out of 6 of trials with this scene being reenacted with different test groups, only once did people step in to help the little girl!

Hence, the term “Bystander Effect” is now used to refer to instances in which individuals do not help out a victim because there are other people, usually large crowds, present.

One of the most disturbing and well-known cases of the bystander effect was took place in one night in New York, 1964.

28 year old Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was just outside of her apartment building when she was approached and subsequently attacked by a man waiting in the shadows.  Almost 40 neighbors heard her screams as she was stabbed repeatedly.  They watched the crime take place but did not do anything.

Nobody ran to the woman’s aid. Nobody even called the police.

Think about that:  These people watched as a woman was brutally murdered but did nothing; absolutely nothing at all.  When questioned about the incident later, the unmoving witnesses stated that they didn’t do anything because they thought “someone else would do something”.

This is called the “diffusion of responsibility”:  when someone fails to act because they believe that someone else will.  Another word for it is Apathy which can be defined as a “lack of interest, concern, or emotion; indifference”.

From a spiritual perspective, how often do we allow ourselves to become bystanders?  How often do we fail to take action because we believe someone else will?

Passing by on the Other Side

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus speaks of the apathy and lack of compassion that many people display today: Luke 10:30-37 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 

Two spiritual men, a priest and a Levite, both saw the man and “passed by on the other side” rather than show compassion to the injured man.  Do we do the same?

How often do we pass by someone in physical need?  James 2:14-17 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

More importantly, how often do we pass by an opportunity to share the Gospel?  We know that sin leads to death (Romans 6:23), yet we fail to share the soul-saving Word of God with the sinful.  If we truly loved our neighbor, wouldn’t we care about their spiritual welfare?

Also, I think we pass by on responsibilities within the work of the church and expect others to do all the work.

Are we focused on serving or being served?

A Preacher’s Responsibilities 

Oftentimes, I think we fail to do the Church’s work because we assume it is someone else’s job, namely: The preacher’s.

We don’t visit the sick because we think it is just the preacher’s job.

We don’t comfort the grieving because we think it is just the preacher’s job.

We don’t talk to members who have left the congregation or the faith altogether because we think it is just the preacher’s job.

If I’m not mistaken, the preacher’s primary job is to preach!

I’m not saying that a preacher shouldn't be involved in visiting the sick, comforting the grieving, or talking to those that need encouragement, but it seems that all too often the preacher gets unrealistic expectations placed upon him.  Many congregations expect the preacher to do ALL of the work and then blame him for the congregation falling apart.  And then we wonder why so many young men are afraid to take on the responsibility of becoming preachers!

Failing to Preach the Gospel

While the preacher does have the responsibility to preach the Gospel, we must be mindful that is also a responsibility belonging to each and every one of us as well!

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

I don’t think Jesus said this just to one of the Apostles, “OK, now Peter, you go do all the work…”   He was talking to all of them!

Likewise, I don’t think that Jesus was just addressing the Apostles, I think he was talking to every Christian!

Do we have an attitude like the one described in Isaiah 6:8 -  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”  Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Take a moment to consider the lyrics from the hymn we often sing, There is Much to Do, which I assume gets its inspiration from Isaiah.  Notice that the lyrics don’t say, “send that other guy.”

“There is much to do, there’s work on every hand.

Hark the call for help comes ringing through the land.

Jesus calls for reapers, I must active be.

What wilt Thou, O Master, here am I, send me.”

I’m afraid that many times our attitude is “Lord, why me?”

John the Baptist stated that we must be active to be considered worthy.  Matthew 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…

Are we bearing fruit or are we just filling a pew?

Individual Members in the Body of Christ

Even when we understand that something isn’t the preacher’s job, too often we expect a small number of individuals to do the rest of the work.

Romans chapter 12 compares the individual members of the church to being individual parts of a body.

Romans 12:4-5  For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Every part of the human body has a purpose to fulfill; a specific function that another body part cannot perform. Likewise, the Church (the body of Christ) is made up of individual members who each should partake in the work.

1 Corinthians 12:18-21 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Likewise, the eye cannot turn to the feet and expect them to do their job.  The feet cannot be doing all of the work!  If a human body cannot operate this way, why do we expect the body of Christ to?  Why do we expect one person or a small number of people to do all of the work?

How often do we call for teachers and the same people end up volunteering over and over again?

How often do we expect the same people to stand up and take the initiative on various projects to further the work of the church?

Recall in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 in which each servant was given talents based on their ability.  Each  servant set out to increase their talents to please their master, but the servant who received one talent, rather than doing anything with it, put it away: Matthew 25:18  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 

When the master returned, he was pleased to find that his servants had increased his investments; All, except the servant who was given one talent.

Matthew 25:24-30  “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Are we using our talents to serve God or are we attempting to bury them?

We must change our way of thinking

We must understand that Christianity is not a religion (I think that when we call Christianity a religion, it puts it into the same category of secular world faiths).  Christianity is a way of life that requires action, work.

My dad once pointed out to me something that he had read about the ancient Egyptians.  They had no word for “religion” in their vocabulary.  The reason for that was that their life was religion.  Everything that they did was done with the purpose of appeasing their gods or attaining a better afterlife.

I believe that should be our attitude toward Christianity.  Christianity, if we are fully committed to Christ as we should be, is our very being.

Acts 17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being…

Notice the language used in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you..

Following Christ is not just something that we do on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights.

Following Christ is a 24/7/365 job that we must be fully committed to!

We should follow the example of Abraham, who left everything to follow God.

We should follow the example of Paul, who was so zealous that he threw himself into the Lord’s work whole-heartedly regardless of the consequences.

Most of all, we should follow the example of Christ.  I often wonder what if Christ was as committed to His work as we are?  Would He have even made it to the cross?  Christ was willing to give his life for us!  We should be willing to do the same for Him!

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
We are commended in Ephesians 4:1 -  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called…

 “Live according to your calling” applies not just to acting like a Christian day in and day out, but also regularly being involved in the work that a Christian should be involved in.

The Lukewarm Church, Dead Faith, and Hidden Light

In conclusion, I have three final verses and thoughts for us to consider:

Revelations 3:14-16 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:  “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth..." 

Are we hot, cold, or lukewarm for Christ?

James 2:18-24 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my[e] works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Faith is important, but so are works.  And without works, faith is dead.

Let us strive to always be actively involved in the church’s work, always dedicated to Christ and His cause.
Let us pledge to not push all of the work on somebody else and take a risk from time to time.
Finally, let us engage in the work of spreading God’s Word.

As we said earlier, we know that sin leads to death, and yet we fail to share the Gospel with others.
 It’s almost as if we had a cure for cancer and rather than sharing it with the afflicted, we hoard it for ourselves!

Matthew 5:14-16  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

There is a saying, “In the absence of light darkness prevails.”

And another saying, by Edmund Burke - “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Let’s not allow ourselves to become bystanders in our spiritual walk!

Empty Words

We live in a society in which we can't avoid being constantly bombarded with advertising and propaganda.  Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and (oops...) blogs add to the noise, giving everyone a voice that can be heard all around the world.  

But are all of these messages worthwhile?  

Ephesians 5:6-7 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them.

We must make a conscious effort to differentiate between empty words and messages that have substantial, lasting value.

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Likewise, we must practice caution even in listening to our preachers.  We must always be willing to check what these teachers are saying and compare it to the Bible itself, for that is our standard.

Worldly messages that are contrary to God's Word are creeping into the Church.  Believers are allowing themselves to be deceived, seeking "feel-good" prattle over God's Truth.  Words like "sin" and "hell" are uncomfortable words, yes, but the Truth is not always cuddly.

We must seek out Truth over empty words.

The Danger of Pride

Jesus warned His disciples in Mark 7:18-23  So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,  thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Jesus said that what comes out of us is what defiles us.  Some of the sins He mentions are things that none of us (hopefully) are guilty of: adultery, murder, theft, blasphemy.

Unfortunately, I think Christians make the mistake of tuning out some of the other sins that Jesus lumps together along with these deeds that we consider “really bad”.  Even the very best of us are very capable of sins of the mind such as evil thoughts, covetousness, deceit, lewdness, foolishness and perhaps most of all: Pride.

Proverbs 16:4-6  The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.  Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.  In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

Notice the attitude God has toward pride, He calls it an abomination, which is strong language reserved for few other sins.  Pride is something that we need to take seriously.

Pride is associated with arrogance, conceit, smugness, self-importance, egotism, vanity, immodesty, and a sense of superiority.

Proverbs 21:24  A proud and haughty man— “Scoffer” is his name;  He acts with arrogant pride.

Why is Pride Sinful in Nature?

The children of Israel, time and time again throughout the Old Testament, drifted away from God and pride was a great contributing factor.

Nehemiah 9:16  But they and our fathers acted proudly, Hardened their necks, And did not heed Your commandments.

Are we guilty of the same?  Do we, out of pride, ignore the commandments of God?  Do we purport to know better than God and spread falsities?

Pride Leads to Other Sins

Proverbs 13:9-11 By pride comes nothing but strife…

Psalm 10:1-3 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?  Why do You hide in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;  Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.  For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;  He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

Habakkuk 2:4-5  Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.  “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home.  Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.

Pride Taints Righteousness

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Pride can lead to error and greed.

1 Timothy 6:3-5  If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,  he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Pride can lead to ignoring sin, which can defile a church.

1 Corinthians 5:1-3  It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!  And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you...

Those that are young in the faith are not permitted to become elders because the position could lead to pride and grave consequences.

1 Timothy 3:6 …Lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 

As a preacher, one of my greatest fears is the temptation of pride.  One of my favorite things to do is to debate and I like being right.  I have to be careful in how I approach matters at times to keep these traits from getting out of hand…

However, Christians in general can fall into this trap easily.  Pride can lead to a critical and judgmental attitude which is detrimental to spreading the Gospel.  Our pride can further develop into self-righteousness.  We must not forgot from whom our blessings come from!

Pride Leads to Destruction

We know that sin is progressive in nature and that if we are not quick to repent and make corrections, we can find ourselves drowning in the consequences.  The ultimate consequence of pride is destruction.

Proverbs 16:17-19  Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Pride Provokes God’s Wrath

We see time and time again throughout the Scriptures that God has no tolerance for arrogance.

Ezekiel 16:48-50  “As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.  Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

Isaiah prophesized the fall of the proud country of Moab.

Isaiah 25:10-12  For on this mountain the hand of the Lord will rest, And Moab shall be trampled down under Him, As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.  And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands.  The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, And bring to the ground, down to the dust.

Likewise, Obadiah prophesized that Edom would fall due to sinful pride.

Obadiah 1:1-4  The vision of Obadiah - Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the Lord, And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):  “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

It would appear that we basically have two options when it comes to pride:  To humble ourselves or God Himself will humble us by putting us in our place!

Humility:  The Cure for Pride

Proverbs 11:2  When pride comes, then comes shame;  But with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 29:23  A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor

The first part of this verse tells us what we already know:  Pride makes us sink into the depths of sin.  But the second part tells us that there is hope through humility.

As Christians we must remember that our salvation is not based on actions, but the grace of God through His Son.  Likewise, our talents and material blessings come from the Father.  Really, we have nothing to boast about when we look at it this way!

 1 Samuel 2:2-4  No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.  “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength…”

King Ahaz was one of many kings of Judah who led the people in the worship of Baal.  However, his son Hezikiah led the kingdom away from idol worship which saved the kingdom from destruction for a time
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2 Chronicles 32:26  Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah. 

Likewise, whether it be as a nation, a church, or individuals, we must repent of any pridefulness we find ourselves guilty of.  Let us instead commit ourselves to pursuing a spirit of humility.

James 4:6-10  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Let our prayer be:  Psalm 36:11  Let not the foot of pride come against me,  And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.