Fruit

Tonight begins Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, memorializing God's giving of the Torah, His Word, on Mt. Sinai, and also when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the waiting disciples in the upper room. We also call this feast, Pentecost. I would like to look at this giving of the Word and the Holy Spirit in a slightly different way to memorialize this special day.
Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."   Mt. 7:16-20
John the Baptist said the same thing, even before we heard it from Jesus. He said:
"And even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit  is cut down and thrown into the fire."
John was not warning the heathen sinners of his day. He was severely warning the religious folk. These were ones who seemingly obeyed the Law of Moses stringently, and voiced their strong disapproval of those whom they thought did not obey the Law. However, John said that they were not bearing the good fruit expected. So what kind of fruit did John, and by his anointing, the Holy Spirit, expect to see?
When we consider our lives as believers bearing fruit, we have certain ideas in mind: perhaps the concept of witnessing, and leading others to salvation, perhaps it is the good works and giving generated by love and faith. Maybe it involves having the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives. All of these things are wonderful, but Jesus wasn't speaking of these things as good fruit, because He went on to say that He was not talking about prophesying in His name, or casting out evil spirits, or doing wonders in His name, or even knowing Him as Savior (Mt. 7:21-23). I would have thought these things would be great fruit, but evidently Jesus was looking for something else. He went on to say that the fruit that impresses Him is whoever hears and does His sayings.
There are many verses in scripture of sins to avoid, and of commandments regarding those things that are to be done. All are vital truths to save us from death and destruction. Jesus, being an extremely smart man (because He is God), broke it down for us in a very simple, but devastating way. When asked what was the great commandment in the Law, He said, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."   Mt. 22:35-40
Jesus said that all of the lists, and all of the commandments are summed up in these two points. I can't even get past point one. Yes, I love God. I truly do. I think He is the most amazingly awesome Being who ever was, is now, or ever will be. However, I know I am not being honest if I claim to love Him with all of my heart, soul, and mind. I love other things also, so I cannot be loving Him with ALL my heart. My mind is usually occupied with things besides Him, so I cannot be loving Him with ALL my mind. Often I like to do things that I desire to do, so I am not loving Him with ALL my soul and will in those many moments. I think that if we loved God in that totality of manner, we would be holy and perfect as He is holy and perfect. We wouldn't have the time or the energy to be anything else! However, putting that debate aside, I fall apart anyway at the second commandment that carries the same weight as the first: the one about loving my neighbor. I doubt very seriously if I would die for any of my neighbors, even though they are very nice. Let's get real. Even those of us who believe God and do love Him, can't even get to first base in keeping the two commandments that incorporate all of the other commandments, and all of the prophets. God sent Jesus not because of lists we didn't keep, but because we didn't love Him:
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."   1 Jn. 4:10
Jesus said that it doesn't matter what else I do for the kingdom of God. If I fail at His sayings, I am not bringing forth good fruit. John the Baptist identified the good fruit as fruits worthy of repentance (Lk. 3:8). Repentance is always necessary for not keeping the sayings of Jesus, the Word of God, summed up by those two great commandments of which He spoke.
Generally, we do not see repentance as creating fruit, especially not greater fruit than doing wonders in the name of Christ! We view repentance as a sad and heavy task, and one that we prefer to urge others to do. However, the fruits worthy of repentance are so powerful, so great, that John the Baptist could see them, or the lack of them, from a mile away. Evidently, you don't even have to be a prophet to discern their presence or lack. These fruits are even obvious to the common man, who easily identifies the place where he can find grapes and figs, and where he can't find them according to Jesus (Mt. 7:16). Those without these precious fruits were called "a brood of vipers" for their lack: barren, worthless trees only worthy to be cut down and thrown into the fire. So what is the greatness in the fruits worthy of repentance that we should run to obtain them- that we should consider ourselves totally lacking if we don't have them?
Paul wrote to the Corinthians regarding their repentance, and the fruits it had borne in their lives:
"For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a Godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear of this matter."   2 Cor. 7:10-11
Since the sorrow of the world produces death, contrarily we can say that the Godly sorrow of repentance produces life. Let's look in more detail at the fruits that were created from the repentance at Corinth mentioned in the verses above:
diligence (KJV-carefulness): speed, earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything. Await eagerly. Disciples listening to their teacher's instruction (at his feet), to put one's foot on the vanquished, footstool.
clearing of yourselves: defense, answer for one's self, defend a person or thing, to exculpate.
indignation: (root) a curved arm, closely enfolding (Lk. 2:28-Simeon took baby Jesus up in his arms).
fear: a reverent awe or fear, overcome at a wonder of God (Mt. 28:4, 8, Mk. 4:41, Lk. 5:26).
vehement desire: longing, pursue with love, intensely crave.
zeal: excitement, fervor, ardor in embracing, fervent in spirit (like water boiling), glow (like heated metal) (Acts 18:25, Rom. 12:11).
vindication (KJV-revenge): to avenge an injured person, to vindicate one from wrong, to protect/defend, carrying out justice (Lk. 18:8, 21:22 (that all things might be fulfilled), Acts 7:24 (said of Moses).
proved (KJV-approved): to show, establish, prove, exhibit, to place together, to stand with (2 Cor. 10:18, Col. 1:17-"by Him all things consist").
clear: exciting reverence, sacred, pure, immaculate, pure from every fault, most holy thing, a saint (1 Pet. 3:1-2, 1 Jn. 3:3, James 3:17 which also mentions "good fruit"). 
As David recounts the fruits that were created from his repentance before God in Psalm 51, (A Prayer of Repentance) he mentions a clean heart that is created in him, a steadfast spirit that is renewed in him, being able to remain in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit remaining with him (v. 10-11), the restored joy of salvation, God's Spirit generously upholding him, resulting ability to teach transgressors the ways of God, and converting sinners (v. 12-13), singing aloud of God's righteousness, and speaking praise, God's doing good to Zion and building the walls of Jerusalem (v. 18). All of these things were fruits that would flow from one man's sincere repentance. Not only is the repenting individual abundantly blessed by the fruits of his repentance, but David wrote that those fruits show outwardly to others changing their lives as well. David expected the whole nation to be benefitted from the fruits of his repentance. 2 Chron. 7:14 tells us the same thing. If God's people, who are called by His name, pray, and sincerely repent, He will heal their land.
This is the fruit that John the Baptist saw as lacking in the religious folk of his generation. This is the fruit that Jesus said that all men would be able to discern, and without which, the tree is only fit for the fire. John said, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance."
Surely these fruits are worth seeking. Let's seek repentance and the fruit that can change everything.

Our Father has called us to bear precious, powerful fruits of repentance.