In the Bible, a fruitful life is described as one that is producing good things. God’s Words teaches a lot on this topic so it must be very important to God.
God wants to bless your life. He wants you to be so blessed that He produces fruit in your life that will go on blessing you and the others around you.
Some people bear spiritual fruit. Some don’t. Those who do bear fruit have more freedom. Their lives are more fulfilling. Those who don’t beart fruit are missing out on some great blessings in life!
This is one of those spiritual truths that a lot of people have trouble believing.
Our human nature is bent toward the idea that fulfillment comes from getting everything you want - having things go your way - not with being concerned about what God wants. Just "look out for number one." Just focus inwardly on the very small world of your personal desires.
To learn the truth on this matter, consider this interesting passage of Scripture.
Matthew 21:18 (NLT) In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs on it, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" And immediately the fig tree withered up.
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?"
21 Then Jesus told them, "I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can say to this mountain, ’May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
It grabs your attention that Jesus cursed something because we’re used to reading about the many times He blessed people and things in the New Testament.
This is the only miracle of judgment performed by Jesus during his earthly ministry.
So, at first, it seems this miracle doesn’t fit the nature of One so loving and compassionate. He could have just as easily used his miracle-working power to cause the fig tree to produce fruit immediately. Instead, he cursed it then and there. So we ask ourselves, "Why?"
We know that Jesus didn’t judge the tree out of anger over his hunger. We’re talking about the Son of God who once went 40 days without food and afterwards was able to reject the most challenging tests that even Satan himself could hurl at him.
We’re left with the obvious fact that the cursing of the fig tree was an object lesson.
Jesus had just cleansed the Temple the day before. He was heartbroken and angry over what was being done there.
Here’s more of the story from the Bible.
Matthew 21:12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves. 13 He said, "The Scriptures declare, ’My Temple will be called a place of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!"
The thievery involved overcharging religious pilgrims for animal sacrifices and further exploiting them financially in currency exchange - all in the name of religion! Jesus did not stand for this behavior in the House of God.
Then, after Jesus cleansed the Temple, He did something else that made the religious leaders angry.
Matthew 21:14 The blind and the lame came to him, and he healed them there in the Temple. 15 The leading priests and teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the little children in the Temple shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David." But they were indignant 16 and asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?"
"Yes," Jesus replied. "Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ’You have taught children and infants to give you praise."
Jesus was illustrating what is supposed to happen in God’s house. The sheep aren’t supposed to be fleeced there - they are supposed to be helped there! The house of God should be a place of encouragement and uplifting of spirits, not a place of judgmentalism and exploitation.
No wonder Christ was so perturbed!
The cursing of a fig tree followed the cleansing of the Temple on purpose. Christ cursed the fruitless tree as a warning - a warning about the emptiness of a fruitless lifestyle - the emptiness of a life without a real relationship with God.
Now what affect did his object lesson have on His followers?
Like so many other times, Christ’s teaching didn’t phase his followers at first. Just like we don’t always get all that God wants to teach us at first either. Its good to know God is patient with us.
Instead of connecting the dots like Jesus intended - instead of seeing the spiritual lesson of the need for fruit bearing - the disciples were interested in finding out HOW the fig tree withered so quickly.
They were mesmerized by the magnitude of the miracle and failed to grasp its meaning. They actually didn’t seem to care as much about spiritual truth as they did about how to do something spectacular. It’s like someone trying to learn the secrets behind the tricks of a magician - "How’d you make that rabbit come out of that hat?"
Jesus wasn’t putting on a show so the disciples could be entertained. As always, He had a good reason for what he did. He wanted to impart spiritual truth in a memorable way. He wasn’t a religious showman.
So what was Jesus trying to tell us by this unique object lesson. I’m sure there’s more here than we have time for in one sitting, but let’s learn a few things about HOW FRUITFULNESS SETS YOU FREE.
1. Fruitful people are free from envy. They don’t mind other people receiving recognition.
Matthew 21:23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and other leaders came up to him. They demanded, "By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple? Who gave you such authority?"
It would have been nice if they had come up to Jesus and said, "It sure was great to see the Temple cleared of those crooks, and it was wonderful to see the blind and lame healed, and it was especially enjoyable to watch the children praising you!"
Instead, they were mad at Jesus for infringing on their turf. They couldn’t find it in themselves to praise Jesus because they were bound by envy. They had not experienced the liberation of a personal faith relationship with Jesus.
In another passage the Bible describes the great disparity between fruit bearing and non-fruit bearing people.
Galatians 5:19-23 (NLT)
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
What a contrast between the fruit of our sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit! Anyone can see that the life of a person following the Spirit produces much more desirable fruit.
Each one of us has a decision to make. Are we going to follow Jesus by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, or are we going to follow the desires of our sinful nature? When you decide to follow Jesus and be led by the Spirit you will be set free from the kind of life that produces the rotten fruit of the sinful nature - and you will be able to see God produce His wonderful fruit in your life!
2. Fruitful people are free from worry about what others think. They care very much about what God thinks and much less about what people think.
One of the most liberating days in your life will be when you realize that what God thinks about you is far more important than what people think about you.
We saw the Bible verses earlier about the leaders questioning Christ’s authority. Here’s His response.
Matthew 21:14 "I’ll tell you who gave me authority to do these things if you answer one question," Jesus replied. 25 "Did John’s baptism come from heaven or was it merely human?"
They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe him. 26 But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed, because the people think he was a prophet." 27 So they finally replied, "We don’t know."
And Jesus responded, "Then I won’t answer your question either."
This is one of many instances where Jesus met His detractors with a cannon while they only brought a squirt gun to the war of words. Seems like they would have learned that their logical abilities were no match for The Ancient of Days.
The religious leaders did not want to take a stand on the ministry of John the Baptist. This was so indicative of their opinion-poll style of religion. They didn’t have any deep-rooted convictions about right and wrong. All they knew how to do was answer a question based on how their answer would be perceived by others.
Thank God the truth is not based on popular opinion. The truth comes from God’s revelation in His Word.
Consider Christ’s words from verse 21 again.
Matthew 21:21 "If you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ’May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen."
His followers marvelled at how quickly the fig tree withered and Jesus said, "That’s nothing - if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can move mountains!"
One of our difficulties in having mountain-moving faith is that we are too focused on our limited strength and resources and not enough on God!
This was the problem of the religious leaders. They had no fruit because they had no faith. They didn’t live by faith - they lived by fear. Fear of public opinion. They were not free. They were bound by fear.
Faith sets you free! And one of the things faith sets you free to do is move mountains - the obstacles in your life that are in your way!
Take a moment and focus on how God is bigger than the biggest problem you have in your life. Doesn’t matter if its a relationship problem, a money problem, a health problem, a job-related problem - the key to overcoming that problem is faith.
Those who follow Christ should not set small goals!
We shouldn’t be thinking - "What is the least I can get by with?"
We should be dreaming big things because we have a big God!
We should be thinking about moving mountains - not just getting by!
Faith is believing God for the big things as well as the little things.
Take your view off of others around you and focus on God.
Warren Wiersbe said, "Faith enables us to understand what God does. Faith enables us to see what others cannot see. As a result, faith enables us to do what others cannot do."
3. Fruitful people are free to admit they’ve been wrong.
Matthew 21:28 "But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ’Son, go out and work in the vineyard today. 29 The son answered, ’No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. 30 Then the father told the other son, ’You go, and he said, ’Yes sir, I will,’ But he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two sons was obeying his father?"
They replied, "The first, of course."
Then Jesus explained his meaning: "I assure you, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the way of life, and you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to turn from your sins and believe him."
Once Jesus had the attention of the fruitless crowd He expanded His point by telling the story of the two sons and the vineyard. He immediately applied the story to his listeners. "You refused to turn from your sins and believe."
Jesus tells a second story with the same meaning in verses 33-42, and then he says in verse 43,
"What I mean is that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit."
The religious leaders wouldn’t believe the preaching of John the Baptist and they wouldn’t believe Jesus either - because, if they had, it would have meant admitting that they had been wrong - and they just couldn’t bring themselves to doing that. They were bound by their pride and stubborn rebellion.
Fruitful people are those who have admitted that they have done wrong. Not people who are perfect - people who admit they have not been perfect. They have sinned. They know they can’t be right in the sight of a holy God without having their sins forgiven.
So they place their faith in the only One who can forgive sin. They turn from their sin and turn to Jesus.
That’s why Jesus used the tax collectors and prostitutes in the application of His story. In His ministry he quite often spent time with these kind of people. People that the world shunned - Jesus loved!
They came to Jesus because they were not full of self-righteousness.
Someone here today may want to be set free by Jesus.
Would you all please bow in prayer right now. You may remain seated. If you’ve never prayed before for Christ to set you free, let me suggest something like this - a prayer you can pray from your heart and you don’t even have to say it out loud.
"Dear Lord, I realize I’ve sinned and that I must have your forgiveness. I ask you to come into my heart and life today. I believe in you. I turn my life over to you today. Now help me produce the right kind of fruit in my life. Set me free Jesus. Amen."
Now let’s all stand. Perhaps you prayed that prayer from your heart a few moments ago - or perhaps you want to pray that prayer with someone to pray with you. So we’re going to sing a verse or two and while we do - we’re going to invite you to come forward and let us know of your new faith in Christ.
