Time To Bring Forth The Goods
Matthew 3: 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; (NASB)
Well, today is the 3rd day of the New Year, and hopefully you haven't fallen off the wagon loaded down with well-intentioned resolutions. I thought today might be a good day to share a word from John the Baptist. His prophetic ministry appears to be in full-swing as we see the multitudes coming out to hear his message. His appearance and diet are unconventional, but his message is straight from the throne-room of God. If John were to appear in our community today, we would likely dismiss him as a radical. But God often chooses the unlikely...and the "foolish things" to confound the wise.
The Pharisees and Sadducees no doubt thought that they should be present for such a religious event. If anyone were to have a right to participate in this ecclesiastical excercise...certainly it would be them (so they thought). Fast-forward to 2006- if those two groups came to our church- likely those of us in leadership would acquiesce to their desire. It seems we have a reluctance to denounce the sins of the religious elite. Perhaps this stems from a hidden desire to be accepted by them....or perhaps to appease them in hopes for their praise. Paul told Timothy (regarding elders and leaders in the church) "them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear" (I Tim 5:20). This is a difficult but sometimes necessary aspect of prophetic ministry.
John the Baptist wanted them to realize that participating in his baptism was not merely another religious rite to be observed...it involved repentance. Many look at the liturgical calendar and days such as Yom Kippur as ideal times to think about repentance. But I think every day is a good time to think about it..and beginning a new calendar year is also an ideal time. John understood something that many of us in the church have yet to grasp....true repentance involves bearing fruit. We often confuse repentance and sorrow. These two terms are delineated in II Corinthians chapter 7
How often do we come to the altar of prayer confessing the same sins over and over again? I am not saying that we shouldn't come and confess immediately or that God will not forgive, but at some point, do we not need to bring forth the actual "fruit" of repentance? I purpose in my heart this year to actually bring forth the goods. There are some things I intend to "mark off" of my "repentance list" and actually get the victory over in this year- with God's help of course. His grace is sufficient!
Maranatha!
-Henry
2 comments:
Thanks for stepping on my toes. (I mean that.) I don't have the "big sins" to worry about but I still feel inadequate in my prayer and study time. Unfortunately, this is a battle I fight constantly and consistently and, perhaps, is more damaging than the so called "big sins".
Again, thanks for the reminder.
It was Solomon that said that it's the little foxes that spoil the vine. I, too, have areas that I need victory in, of course with God's grace. I desire to be fruitful in these last days, just as John the Baptist called on people to "bring forth fruits worthy of repentence".
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