⏱ 12 min read

• God is expecting something from you and I. A parasitic relationship is when one side is always taking and taking, but a symbiotic relationship has both parties benefitting.
• You and I are connected to the vine (Jesus), He feeds us with His Word and God is the Gardener who prunes us; with the aim that we bear much fruit (John 15).
• A good question to ask is: what fruit does God expect from me? Let’s explore one of such today:

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 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.” ~ Luke 3:7-9

Some things in our lives may not be beneficial to us, but they are beneficial to God. We may not particularly like it, but God wants it. The branch doesn’t enjoy its own fruit but “herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.”

Fruits worthy of repentance

• For ~500 years (since Malachi), God said nothing to Israel until the time of John the Baptist (v2).
• Why was God silent? Because what He was looking for (fruits), He couldn’t find in Israel. They were living in sin, dispersed, following other gods, etc.
• So God gave John a message: “I want to make an appearance again to my people, and before I come, go and tell them that I am looking for the fruit of repentance.“

"while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins," ~ Luke 3:2-3.

• And v9 suggests to us that when God does not find this fruit of repentance in us, some consequences go with it.
• Dear friend, fruitlessness is something God hates. This is why Jesus cursed the fig tree when it had no fruits (Mark 11:12-14).

Never forget that fruits are very important to God. So what are some features of the fruit of repentance:

1. It is not about what you say (v8):

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’

• A lot of people claim to be born again. That was exactly what was happening in John’s time.
• It is not enough to call yourself a Christian but lead your life the way you want to lead it. That is not repentance.

One day, a pastor went for witnessing and spoke to a young man who gave His life to Christ. He asked that the pastor comes for him the next day (Sunday) to take him to church. 
So the pastor went there, knocked on the door and was invited in. He went to meet his new convert relaxing in bed with his girlfriend. So the pastor asked him, "Are you not the one who got born-again and said you are given your life to Jesus?" And the guy said: "Pastor, yesterday what I said, it was a mistake!"

• The guy’s repentance was just based on what he said; that was all. And do you know that our generation is filled with people like that?
• The fruit of repentance God is looking for is not what you say.

Jesus said a similar thing in Matthew 7:20-23, “by their fruits, ye shall know them. Not every one that SAYS to me, Lord Lord will enter the kingdom… but He that doeth the will of my Father.”

• These people that Jesus spoke about, claimed by what they said that they were children of God. But God was looking for the fruit of repentance and He never saw it.
• And they were operating in spiritual gifts (prophecy), power (casting out devils), doing mighty works (you can do amazing work and exploits for God)…
• But it does not mean that you are bringing forth the fruit of repentance; and those things can never replace the fruit of repentance.

Dear friend, I want to say to you that God is looking for something from you. Yes, we are looking for something from Him; but He is also looking for something from us: the fruit of repentance.

If this fruit is missing, we have a problem. Working for the Lord does not exempt us from this fruit! These people were hard workers for the Lord (which is not bad o), but it’s not enough.

2. The fruit of repentance is seen in what you do (v11):

John said in v11, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” In other words, when you have repented, there are certain things you are supposed to be doing.

• Some of you know this already but I used to be a pornography addict. But you see, now I am into online services and sermons – it’s about what I do with my eyes and time.
• Maybe you used your hands to squeeze many girls and many boys, but now these hands can be healing the sick and reaching others with the Gospel – it’s about what you do.
• John was saying that it’s not about neutrality – “I am saved that’s all.” It’s about doing good things.

“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ~ Acts 10:38

What are you doing with your time? What are you doing with your money? What are you doing with your energy? What are you doing with your friends? What are you doing in school? 
"He that has two coats, let him give.." Instead of greed and selfishness, be generous. Do the good works God has for you! 

3. The fruit of repentance is seen in what we don’t do (v12-13):

Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” But this time John told them what they should not do: “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

• So the first group were doing nothing but they were supposed to do something positive; and this second group were doing something evil which they must stop.
• There are certain things a Christian is not expected to do; certain evil things have to stop. Repentance is about what you stop doing.
• We have Christians in many places but we are very evil and corrupt; very very corrupt. It’s a pity really. But this fruit is also about what you don’t do.

The prodigal son said: "I will arise and go to my father… (Luke 15:18)." Every bad thing I used to do, I've stopped: "I used to be with prostitutes, I've stopped! "I used to have bad friends, I've stopped!" I used to think I was my own man, I've stopped; I used to waste money, I've stopped! 
Now I am going back to my father as a servant… He changed! He stopped every bad thing He was doing.

John gave very practical examples of the fruits of repentance in their day; what God was looking for. The great power of God is seen in the transformation that comes from the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in our lives.

4. The fruit of repentance is seen in how we relate with other people (v14):

Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

• Dear friend, the test of Christianity is relationships. Every scripture we read in the Bible is meant for relationships – with God and with people.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

• Everything in this Bible is about these two things: our relationship with God and our relationship with people.
• So John said to them, in the fruit of repentance God will like to see an improvement in your relationships. God wants to see it in your relationships.

Bishop Kakra Baiden said was preaching in SA and there was a gentleman that had not spoken with his father for 15 years. The guy said that as the word was being preached, something like a fire came into the his heart and then he suddenly remembered his father. He started weeping uncontrollably. 
This guy was a hardcore gambler, smoker, etc., but he wept like a baby. What was happening? The Holy Spirit was talking to him about his relationships. So he wept for ~30 mins and he took his phone and called his dad. He apologised, asked for his forgiveness, and his blessings.

• Note: the preaching was not about relationships. But the Holy Spirit picked this guy out and pressed on him the need for the fruit of repentance in his relationships.
• Dear friend, you and I can’t say we are serving God and have poor relationships with people (1 John 4:20).

The Christian life is not a theory, it’s supposed to be lived. It is a life flowing from God to us called eternal life. Let us work on our relationships!

• How do you treat your father, mother, spouse, enemies (Jesus said to love them), friends, etc. That is the fruit God is looking forward to.
• God is in our homes, our bedrooms, our workplaces, our classrooms – watching our actions and listening to our conversations. He is looking for the fruit of repentance.

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Dear friend, if you are not born again or you want to re-dedicate your life to God, I want you to know that decision is the best thing that can ever happen to you. All you need to do is to believe in your heart and pray this prayer with me in faith:

“Jesus, You died upon the cross and rose again to save the lost. Forgive me now of all my sins. Come be my Savior, my Lord, and my Friend. Change my life and make it new and help me, Lord, to live for You. Today, I choose to respond to your great love; thank you for loving me. Please give me your Spirit, that I may live a life that pleases you, Amen!”

Congratulations dear friend!! There is great rejoicing in heaven because of you. You are a new creation and you have your ticket to everlasting life because of this choice!

If you prayed this prayer for the first time, or you just re-dedicated your life to Christ, we would like to know you and help you on this new journey… Please click here and get in touch.

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• You can join the AWG family and support team (AWG Wings) to do something good for the Lord.
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• Finally, join us in this journey to know Jesus more. Much love and stay blessed!

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