Kingdom Fruit Requires a Kingdom Root

"A well connected rose" -- The little girl was so proud. Though just a toddler, she knew she had done something really special. She had been to the flower garden in the back yard and picked the biggest, most beautiful rose in the whole garden. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, she sneaked up on her mother and yelled, "'Prize -- I brung you a flo'er." The bold smile on her mother's face quickly faded as she looked with horror at her hopeful entry in the county fair garden competition being squeezed tightly by a beaming three year old. "Don't you like it?" the youngster asked. Her mother had to fight to hold back the tears as she muttered, "Yes, it's very pretty. It's just that I had hoped to enter it in the county fair but it will be all wilted by then." The youngster saw no problem with this: "I'll just dig a little hole, pour in some of that black stuff just like you do, Mama, and put it back in the ground!"

The problem here is that no amount of coercion, no amount of care and feeding, no amount of coercion or angry words could ever make that rose grow again. It must be connected to the root to grow its beautiful, fragrant petals. For any plant or tree to have grow and bear its fruit, it must be connected to a healthy root. Our lives are much like plant or tree in this respect -- we must be connected to a healthy root in order to bear the good fruit of character, courage, and commitment.

Our study in Matthew 3 reveals this truth through the eyes of the last Old Testament prophet: John the Baptist. In this chapter we see:

Scripture Passage: Matthew 3:1-17

Main Thought: The fruitful, meaningful life God desires for you can only come through connection with a good root. In Christ, our root, all believers are called to bear the kind of fruit which reflects the character and conduct of His life.

In chapter three, John the Baptist appears on the Judean landscape. Preaching repentance to the people, John is acclaimed by the people as the first prophet from God in four hundred years. Confessing their sins, the people are baptised in the Jordan river by John. When the religious leaders hear of this, they go out to confront John. He exposes their hypocrisy with strong, righteous words. In so doing, he declares the Messiah is coming. Soon Jesus appears to be baptized by John. John protests in utter humility but Jesus asks him to do it to fulfill what is right in God's sight. God then affirms the divine nature of Jesus with a voice from Heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

The Nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 3:1-6)
The Fruit of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 3:7-10)
The Power of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 3:11-12)
The King in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 3:13-17)

1. The Nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Matt. 3:1-6 NIV)

1.1 The people were far from God but the kingdom of heaven was near (Matt. 3:2-3).

The desert is a barren land,
     a wilderness full of rock and sand,
     that cries aloud for the fall of the rain.
An ever shifting sea of dust
     that knows no mercy,
     shows no trust.
The sun bake waste for the scorpion's domain.
The dunes they rise, the dunes they fall,
     marching forth to conquer all,
     that have no mind to move out of their way.
The man who turns his heart away
     from Jesus Christ the King
     is as a desert --
     his sands is made of faith in earthly things.
His hopes become mirages and
     his heart grows cold and cruel.
And when a man enthrones himself as king,
     Then his master is a fool.
(Gino Conti, "The Desert", from the album On the Wings of His Victory, New Haven Records, 1992)

1.2 Even a coarse, direct message can be refreshing if it brings sinners to God (Matt. 3:5-6).

My brother-in-law was formerly the customer service manager at the appliance division of a large consumer products company. As the "where the buck stops" person for the southeast, you can imagine the type of calls he would get. One day, he answered the phone only to hear a five-minute string of obscenities and explicatives. At the end of it, the person yelled, "So what are you going to do about it?" "Nothing," he said as he hung up the phone. A minute later the person called back whimpering, "Why'd you hang up on me?"

Sometimes the direct approach is best. The people of Judea went a long way to hear someone preach a hard message in the middle of nowhere. But the people came and they responded. When God speaks, it really doesn't matter who it is or how they dress or how they sound. People need a word from the Lord -- sometimes, He has to break through the walls of indifference, anger, and pride.

1.3 Sin separates from God but repentance brings forgiveness of sins (Matt. 3:2; Luke 3:3).

The people of Judea were living in a country ruled by the powerful Roman empire. Romans prided themselves in their power to conquer and control. This is seen today in a person who directs his own affairs, calls his own shots, and makes his own rules. If you were to draw a circle around the activities and people in your life, and place a throne at the center of that circle, who sits on the throne? On you own, the way is lonely, hard, wearisome, futile and empty. Above all, empty. On the other hand, with Christ on the throne, you go His way in friendship, peace, refreshment, meaning and fulfillment. Above all, fulfillment.

Who is king in your heart and in your home? Consider become of this community if Jesus Christ was King in every heart and every home...Consider, and "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." No, repent for the kingdom of heaven is HERE!

2. The Fruit of the Kingdom of Heaven.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father.' 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. (Matt. 3:7-10 NIV)

2.1 The bad fruit of the Pharisees was oral tradition which superceded Scripture (Matt. 3:7).

The Pharisees were one of the ruling groups of religious leaders sitting on the Sanhedrin -- sort of like the Supreme Court today. They controlled the local synagogues where the Jewish people met regularly. It appears they were largely responsible for the transformation of Judaism from a religion of sacrifice to one of Law. In fact, they held the Talmud -- the Rabbinical commentary on the Scriptures -- up to the level of inspired Scripture. It became the focus of their teaching. The result was a works-based approach to salvation through strict adherence to THEIR interpretation of the Law.

So man's fallible (and constantly changing) opinion about God's word became the standard rather than the infallible word of God. Does this sound like anything going on today? Dr. Ken Ham from the Answers In Genesis ministry said almost the exact same thing at the Creation seminar he gave here at RSBC recently. We are expected to place our faith and trust in what Science tells us -- that goes for the Physical Sciences as well as the Social Sciences now -- and only believe what the God's word says so long as it agrees with Science. The trouble is that Science makes quantum changes in their "theories" every few years while the bad decisions based on previous "theories" are still ravaging our culture -- explosive increases in drug usage, teen pregnancy, "gay marriages", pornography, general lack of integrity and commitment. All these can be traced back to a world view having no objective truth. When you have no objective truth -- which is the word of God -- then anything goes. Yet, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isa. 40:8 NIV).

2.2 The bad fruit of the Sadducees was materialism among other fleshly pursuits which contradicted Scripture (Matt. 3:7).

The Sadducees were the elite, wealthy group of religious leaders who controlled the Temple and its services. They opposed the oral tradition of the Pharisees but only held to the Torah -- the first five books of the Bible. They did not believe in an afterlife -- hence, no resurrection, no reward, no judgment. Quite naturally, then, they became materialistic. Thus, one can understand Jesus' indignation over their business practices in the Temple area. In practice, they acted as would one who did not believe in God. What kind of fruit is born out of unbelief?

2.3 The people bore the fruit of selfishness, deceit, greed, gossip, and discontent. (Luke 3:11-14)

What did John the Baptist have to say about the culture he was in?

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked. John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay" (Luke 3:10-14 NIV).

What has changed about us compared to this first century audience? Nothing substantial. So what is the problem?

2.4 Kingdom fruit requires a kingdom root to produce good fruit.

Fruit is the result of a branch connected to a healthy, vibrant root. If the root is a weed, then weeds will grow. If the root is a peach tree, then peaches will grow. If the branch separates from the root, no fruit will result. The people of John's day were not connected to the root of God because of sin: through their own sinful, selfish pursuits, hoping for a political solution to a spiritual problem, and through the acceptance of false teachings. The same is true today. The fruit of God's kingdom only results from one who is connected to God (the root) through personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. John was preparing the people of his day for the imminent coming of Christ. They were to repent -- have a change of heart toward God -- and believe in the Christ who was soon to appear.

3. The Power of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3:11-12 NIV)

3.1 Repentance alone may release you from guilt but provides no power to overcome sin in the future.

One may feel genuinely sorry about what he/she did. One may even try to do "penance" or good deeds to make up for it. What John called for was "RE-pentance" -- a radical change of heart. Even so, we can muster up all the willpower we can and determine not to ever, ever do that again and yet find ourselves right back in the thick of that particular problem area. Repentance -- a radical change of heart -- is the result of brokenness -- a realization that we cannot go it alone. We need help. We something or someone stronger than ourselves to make it.

3.2 Belief in Jesus brings the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower the believer.

I have never been one to run in long races. I'm a sprinter -- more of a thoroughbred than a plow horse. (By the way, did you know if you treat your wife like a thoroughbred she won't turn into a nag). The thing I dreaded most each school year was the President's physical fitness test. As if the sit-ups and pull-ups weren't bad enough, you had to run a whole mile. No amount of positive thinking or sheer will would help. About halfway through I had to give up. I could not keep up the pace. I needed strength, power, and energy to run the race to the end.

John called the people to repentance of sin and belief in the Savior. When John saw Jesus, he told his listeners, "...Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29 NKJV) When we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, He not only takes away our sin but He gives us the Holy Spirit to live inside us, in our inner being. Having believed the good news that Jesus is the Christ who died for your sins, you no longer face life and temptation alone -- The Spirit of God lives in you giving you the strength, energy, and power to overcome it.

3.3 The believer bears "kingdom fruit" by living in dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of God's kingdom can only grow when you are connected to the root of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the Holy Spirit is your permanent possession (John 14:16) and seals you until Jesus brings you home to Heaven (Eph. 1:13-14), your connection is secure. But even though the Holy Spirit can empower us to live a fruit-bearing life, we are not robots that have no choice. We still have a will to choose. If we choose to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit fills us or empowers us for His service. And the fruit of the Spirit is the outcome -- love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Where this fruit is evident and growing day-by-day in your life as a believer, you can be sure you are following Jesus. Where these are not evident, there is a need to examine yourself -- Am I living a life of trust in the Lord Jesus Christ or in myself? Am I truly following Jesus' will for my life or am I still making my own independent decisions? As John said and I say again, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is [here]!"

4. The King in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:13-17 NIV).

4.1 The righteousness of the kingdom of heaven is found in the life of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River "...to fulfill all righteousness." The people were confessing their sins and getting baptized to identify themselves with Christ whom John had proclaimed to them. Jesus then went before them to get baptized but He had no sins to confess. He lived His life without sinning and his closest friends and family affirmed this. As an insightful preacher once said, "Anybody who thinks they are without sin should go ask their spouse." So Jesus came, not to confess or repent of His sins, but to identify Himself with sinners like us.

4.2 God the Father affirmed the divine nature of Jesus and the righteousness which He alone possesses.

Not one of us can claim a righteousness of our own. The Pharisees and Sadducees were soundly rebuked for thinking that their family line (Abraham's descendents) guaranteed their righteous standing before God. John admonished them, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matt. 3:8 NIV). As we shall see clearly in this study of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law. Clearly, Jesus is the only Jew who ever kept the Law. Thus, as the evangelistic group "Jews for Jesus" proclaimed in a recent campaign: "Be more Jewish -- believe in Jesus!"

4.3 Kingdom fruit is born as we acknowledge Jesus Christ as King over every area of our life.

While I can certainly try to push my car along the road, it works a whole lot better when I start the engine and use the built-in power. Going up a hill, I can lean forward all I want but it will not help the car go faster. I can yell, "Stop, stop!" at the top of my lungs but I cannot improve the function of the brake system. The Christian life is like this. When we try to do it ourselves, we improve the kingdom of heaven not one iota. But when we exercise faith in what Jesus Christ has done and will continue to do through us, we can relax and enjoy the ride. We may have to serve in extremely hard or difficult jobs; yet for the one who simply depends upon the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, it's like a drive in the country -- peaceful, refreshing, renewing. Your work in the name of the Lord actually energizes you. And the real fruit of the kingdom of heaven is born in this way -- by allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to live His righteous life through you.

Reflect on YOUR life: No one ever lived the Christian life but Jesus. And so we live the Christian life and bear its fruit -- not by our own power or sheer will for that is pointless and fruitless -- but by acknowledging our King -- the LORD Jesus Christ. Through Him, we can live in moment-by-moment in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. And so we appreciate what John proclaimed about Jesus: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit ..." (Matt. 3:11 NIV). Then you will bear in ever-increasing measure the fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) Ask the LORD to empower your life and bear His fruit today!