Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Back in the 1850s, before the invention of barbed wire, some farmers would grow a tree on the Great plains known as Osage orange. This tree had completely inedible fruit, and was filled with thorns and when planted close together, were completely impenetrable to men or animals. I have read old stories about people who have walked into this tree while out in a field, and were laid up for a few days, suffering from its extremely long and painful needles. All It produced was inedible fruits which are known as monkey balls or hedge apples. Most people would take this tree and cut it down and put something fruitful in its place, such as an apple tree. It is an extremely dense and hard tree, dulling even the sharpest chainsaw in a quick hurry. The Osage orange is a hard, fruitless and thorny tree but interestingly enough, it is claimed to be the hottest burning wood in the world. Makes sense, considering its fruitless qualities. The only thing it’s good for is to be cut up and cast into the fire.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Many people will be just like the Osage orange trees, hard-hearted people that produce no good fruit. All they produce are lies and fornication, and fruits of the flesh. Eventually, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, along with the rest of those who refuse to bring forth fruits that are meet for repentance.
Luke 13 ⁶ He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. ⁷ Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? ⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: ⁹ And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
In order to enter eternal life, people must mortify the sinful deeds of the flesh, and produce good fruit. This is the process of repentance. Everyone who names the name of Christ is supposed to depart from iniquity, and go and sin no more. You must turn away from your own will and submit yourself completely to the will of God. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul did. When he was still an unbeliever he was trying to prevent churches from springing up, but through repentance and faith in Christ, he began to build them. Like a son with the father, Timothy was one of Paul’s students whom he was educating as a disciple of Christ. Paul had taken him under his wing and was leading him on the path of obedience to the Lord. He was one of the fruits of Paul’s labor in the Lord.
You can tell a lot about somebody else by the fruit that they produce, because the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree. Everything that Paul was, along with the qualities that he possessed, were exemplified in the faithful life of Timothy. To meet Timothy was to meet Paul, because he was just like him by the Holy Spirit. As a Christian, the Apostle was bringing forth good fruit, but Jesus warned certain Jews about the fruit that they were producing.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matthew 23:15
Many people do the same thing today in false forms of Christianity. False prophets lead people into complete rebellion against God and teach things that they ought not for filthy lures sake. The fruit that they have brought forth is an example of the kind of people they are, heretical, rebellious and disobedient. John the Baptist warned certain religious leaders of the very same thing.
Matthew 3 ⁴ And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, ⁶ And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: ⁹ And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ¹⁰ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Many people quickly claim that Abraham was their father. Nowadays there are many people who profess to be Christian who claim that God is their Father. It doesn’t matter what you claim, it matters that you repent, because without repentance you will perish.
Luke 13 ¹ There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Repentance is turning from your will to the will of God. It is humbly submitting to His purpose rather than your own. Impenitence is like a weed that begins in somebody’s life and spreads quickly to others around them. Disobedience breeds disobedience, and those who lead people astray from the truth in Christ are ultimately responsible for their rebellion against God. They are fruitless trees, only to be ripped right out of the ground.
Jude 1 ¹² These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; ¹³ Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree.
Mark 11 ¹² And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: ¹³ And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. ¹⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Like Timothy, good fruit can only be produced by a good tree. Through faith and the power of the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s heart was filled with goodness, righteousness and Truth. With a great love for Christ Jesus, he labored daily to produce good fruit unto life eternal. Bringing forth good fruit brings forth blessings from God.
Hebrews 6 ⁷ For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸ But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
The lives of some people will be surrounded by the thorns of wickedness, and the inedible fruit of impenitence. God will cut them asunder, fruitless trees that were created only to be taken and thrown into the fire, just like…..
……The Osage Orange
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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