Gtcotr/ss062523
Luke 6:44 “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.”
·
Of
course Jesus is not speaking about trees but rather about people.
·
Jesus
loves you and He wants you to understand that:
o Every person is
designed to bear fruit just like a tree.
o Every person
reproduces …
§ One of the first laws
of life is The Law of Reproduction from Genesis 1:11&12
§ Which includes
producing fruit with “Seed in itself” to
reproduce “after its kind”. This is a law of God.
o Fruit cannot change
the root …
o Fruit reveals the
root. It is as simple as it gets.
·
We
cannot expect to gather anything from a tree except what it has historically
produced. It would be unreasonable to expect otherwise.
· What do your friends and family expect to get from you?
Are
you a thorn in the side of your friends?
·
Grumbling;
griping; complaining; sticking, prodding, poking them
·
Hurting;
injuring
·
Causing
pain; drawing blood
·
Insulting;
offending; wounding; scarring
· And, what do you expect to get from your friends?
Are
you a bramble bush to your family?
·
Argumentative
·
A
waste of time and energy
·
Are
you hard on relationships
·
Impossible
to please
·
Interrupting;
dominating; wearing on the nerves
·
The
ram on Mount Moriah, prophetic of Jesus, was caught in a thicket by His horns. Caught
and held captive by a bramble bush
o A quagmire of
contention
o Anger standing firm
against truth and reason
· What do you expect to get from your family members?
Once again, Jesus says:
Luke 12: 23 “Life is more than food,
and the body is more than clothing.”
·
Life
is designed to be good.
o Peaceful
o Loving
o Kind
o Forgiving
o Happy
o Hopeful
o Productive
o Supportive
o Encouraging
o Safe and Secure
·
Life
is a long game.
·
Life
is a responsibility.
o Your life is your
responsibility.
o No one else is
responsible for your happiness or success.
o Joy comes from pleasing God.
Back to Luke 6 as we read about how life works in the words of Jesus:
Luke 6
35 “Love your enemies, do
good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great,
and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and
evil.
36 “Therefore be merciful,
just as your Father also is merciful.
37 “Judge not, and you shall
not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you
will be forgiven.
38 “Give, and it will be
given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over
will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you.”
43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
If you change the root of your life, it will change the fruit of your life. Life is more than food! Real life begins and becomes fruitful with Jesus.
Jesus is the only root that will produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit and give you eternal life.
Jesus
is not trying to help bad people act like good people. The Bible points us to a
New Life in Christ. We are grafted into Him and He becomes our root. Only then
can we begin drawing our strength and hope through Him.
·
Jesus
wants to save every soul and transform each life through the miracle of faith.
·
Jesus
wants to sever the root and destroy the fruit of sin.
·
Jesus
has given us the keys to His Kingdom. And He has told us how life works.
·
Life
is more than food and clothing …
o Life is love
o Life is mercy
o Life is kind
o Life is thankful
o Life is forgiveness
o Life is giving to
others who are in need
· These are the spiritual fruits of life we find as we grow in Christ.
If you have not been born again, allow Jesus to sever the root of sin in your life. Simply ask Him to save you. Accept Him by faith. And claim Him as your Lord and Savior. Then you will experience the grace of God to grow the fruits of a spiritual life pleasing to God. Remember, Life is more than food and clothes – meaning – life is not always all about you.
If you have been saved and you love Jesus, keep His commandments … (John 14:15) … you know what they are. In fact, you can start right now. Just ask the Holy Spirit to remind you, and He will.
And by the way – there will be a test! Lol.
Let’s pray … then it will be time for food!
