Fruit of Repentance The Process

 

Fruit of Repentance

The Process

You and I are like a fruit tree growing from the ground

A tree that will not produce good fruit

In order for us to produce good fruit

We need, from the shoot above the ground, to be cut off

And a new shoot, from a good producing tree, to be grafted in

John the Baptist said bring fruit worthy of repentance

You and I are of the earth planted in the world, our good fruit is poor

But when Christ comes into our lives

There is a process like grafting that takes place

Repentance is allowing our potential growth to be cut off

The Bible calls this the old nature, sinful nature

Repentance is allowing Christ to be grafted in

For Him to be the new nature which produces the Fruit of the Spirit

This is the process of repentance

It is Christ in you, the hope of Glory  

I think Colossians 3:17 says it well

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

The Process

 

Spring is a beautiful time of year.

 

I love the flowering trees.

 

 I saw a large tree with white flowers…

 

 But to my amazement,

 the lower branches had blue flowers.

 

I think this must have been

a tree that had been grafted.

 

I have two plum trees
 I planted in my backyard.

 

The reason for two trees is to get plums,

 the trees need to be pollinated from each other.

 

The one plum tree produced

plums for a few years, then died.

 

The other tree gets beautiful

flowers in the spring, but no plums.

 

The dead tree has some shoots

coming from the base of the tree.

 

My hope is these shoots will

grow and produce plums.

 

Sadly, a friend of mine said I may not see fruit

 at all or I could see fruit other than plums.

 

He told me these trees are grafted trees.

 

Grafting is a technique that joins two plants into one.

Most fruit trees today are grafted onto rootstock.

 

You and I are like a fruit tree

growing from the ground.

 

A tree that will not produce good fruit.

 

In order for us to produce good fruit…

 

 We need, from the shoot above the ground,

to be cut off and a new shoot, from a

good producing tree, to be grafted in.

 

The plum tree in my backyard produced

plums because a good shoot was grafted

into the base of the tree.

 

 But when the base of the tree could

not support the good shoot, it died.

 

The new shoots coming from the root

system of the tree will never produce

the good fruit of the grafted shoot.

 

John the Baptist said bring

fruit worthy of repentance.

 

You and I are of the earth planted

in the world, our good fruit is poor.

 

But when Christ comes into our lives there

is a process, like grafting, that takes place.

 

John baptized to symbolize a washing,

 or cleansing, a preparation for the Lord.

 

After the coming of Christ…

 

 We see water baptism is a process of Repentance,

 be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38     

 

Baptism is when a person

takes on the identity of Jesus.

 

Standing in the water…

 

 The believer is saying, I am dead to myself,

the image of Christ on the cross.

 

Going down under the water…

 

 The believer is saying, as Christ was buried in

the tomb, I too, have died to my old nature.

 

At this point, a spiritual surgery takes place.

 

As Peter says…

 

…this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also

 — not the removal of dirt from the body

but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.

It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

1 Peter 3:21

 

Like dirt comes off in water,

God cuts off the old nature and

we identify with the resurrection

of Jesus from the dead.

 

Old things pass away and all things become new.

 

Galatians 5 is the chapter on the two fruits…

 

The fruits of the flesh and

The Fruit of the Spirit.  

 

True repentance will always produce

good fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit.

 

This is the process…

 

Recognizing our old nature, recognizing sin.

 

Willingness to die to our old selves

so Christ can be grafted into our lives.

 

If our old nature refuses to feed

the engrafted nature shoot of Christ

in us, it will die like my plum tree.

 

If we grow new shoots from our roots of

the old nature, any fruit we might produce will

be credited to our flesh, not the glory of God.

 

I think Colossians 3:17 says it well…

 

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Repentance recognized the need for Christ

to be grafted into our lives at the very base,

above the roots in order for us to bear

good fruit to the glory of God.

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Matthew 3:1-10

 

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

 

 

Galatians 5:16-25

 

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

 

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.